Free fall
by madelita
Summary: Hattori Heiji lives the typical life of a modern era dragon - struggling with isolation and the fact that he has to keep his real identity a secret. When he spends a hundred years waiting for a happy ending that doesn't come, he starts to lose hope. But maybe fate still has something in store for him...
1. A meeting destined not to happen

_Hello everyone! Apparently I'm not dead yet. No, really, I'm still alive and... stuff._

 _Anyways! I had this idea for half a year now, and finally, fiiiiinally, I can show it to people. To be honest, the original idea came from Hebiaczek, and the fact that I've made it so far is all thanks to her, with her tips and encouragement. Not only that, but she basically wrote the riddle in this chapter for me. She's more of a co-writer now._

 _Also, I'm not planning to abandon those stories that are on hiatus now, so don't worry~_

 _Well, please enjoy~_

* * *

For the last two of three centuries, dragons have been solitary creatures. They slowly disappeared from the world, and the last of them lived in isolation, hoping to protect themselves from humans. Some tried to keep in touch with others, others didn't. There were occasionally small families, the ones who tried to stick together – their fate was usually to be wiped out at once, upon discovery. The ones who tried to live alone died alone, bitter and depressed.

Years went on, the letters between families and solitary dragons stopped, and they were left alone to shoulder their secret and identity, in a world that wouldn't accept them.

This is the world Hattori Heiji lived in, and reluctantly called his own. His parents were gone, have been since years, and having lost contact with everyone else, he was left to wonder if maybe he was the last one.

He never liked thinking about that. He tried not to. But the thought kept finding him, haunting him like some nightmare, until it left him in some half paralyzed state that made him unable to do anything.

As he sits on his couch, he wonders: what is he supposed to do if he's really the last one? He doesn't know the answer. He just tilts his head back, looking up blankly at the ceiling, watching that one spot where the paint is slowly peeling off, letting the noises from the TV wash over him. He rests his legs on the coffee table, and two glasses clink together when his heels land too harshly on the surface. He feels himself sink into the squeaky leather of the couch, and tries to shut his mind off. He mostly succeeds.

The world only drags him back with the increasingly excited voice of the news reporter, now near squealing, and Heiji just sees Kid do some odd backflip, away from an outraged Nakamori, in the moment he raises his head once again. It's an older footage, one Heiji has seen before. The woman talking in the background almost reaches ecstasy just by summarizing the events of the previous heist, and then her voice just enters a whole new register when she's finally reading the notice of the next one.

" _The pigs expecting pearls squealed at the azure shining before them._

 _With the invitation I come wingless from the sky so bright,_

 _Rising from the soaked Earth to claim the surprise prize."_

He is vaguely interested, turning the words of the note over in his head, analysing them. He didn't really care about Kid before, never bothered to look him up, he just occasionally heard about the guy, when he appeared on the news or when Kudou talked about him. His conclusion was that Kid was most probably a weirdo, but at least he was an entertaining one. But that wasn't enough for Heiji to chase after him.

In the end, he just lets his head fall back once again, as if that spot on the ceiling is really that interesting.

* * *

It happens only a day later, as Heiji slowly becomes aware of the crick in his neck, that he wonders if staring upwards is some escape mechanism for him. No, he didn't stay on the couch that long, though it wouldn't be an unusual occurrence to him. In fact, he's quite sure that he wouldn't mind if that were the case, rather than enduring the train ride all the way to Tokyo.

Honestly, he wouldn't bother with trains if he had a choice. He'd rather fly over there, under the night sky, feeling free and wild as the wind plays with his mane… But then he'd have to land even before reaching the outskirts of the city, and then get lost in the maze of various districts and the wonders of public transport. Just the thought makes him cringe a little. At least this way, after the torturously long train ride, the meeting place is only a few minutes away, and on foot too.

Now, by his mother's principles, a meeting with a human (because yes indeed, he's meeting one) would be a suicide. But, for one, Heiji doesn't exactly follow those principles anymore, and two, he spend enough years being "suicidal" and finding out more about that particular person he's seeing to know that he's in no danger with him. Well. There's the whole issue with Heiji not quite having revealed himself yet, but still. He trusts his one human friend as much as he can despite being a dragon. Truth be told, there are many issues with this friendship, like the fact that Heiji will have to eventually disappear before anyone finds out that he isn't really aging like he should. But, he tells himself, he's going out to have fun. Spend time with his friend and enjoy himself, not lament on things.

Just then, the train arrives to the station, so he clears his thoughts, and gets off as soon as he can, a little grateful to feel the steady ground beneath his feet. With a sports bag on his shoulder, Heiji tries to make his way through the buzzing Tokyo crowd. Full of life, full of noise, such a contrast from the quiet little neighbourhood where he temporarily settled down. He's gotten used to the presence of people, but not quite the presence of crowds. Even now, though it's not his first visit in the capital, he feels a little like he's suffocating.

He likes to believe that he can mask his unease well, though. People don't give him odd looks, he doesn't even stand out much – just another teenager out on the streets, and his tanned skin is not enough to bring too much attention to him. It's good, he thinks. He doesn't like too much attention.

His steps slow down as he reaches a small café. A little bell rings as he opens the door, and the strong smell of coffee reaches him instantly. It's a relatively peaceful place, a sanctuary in the overly lively capital, and the atmosphere is calming too. That is, except for one little corner where the customers tend to shy away from as a young man sips on his coffee in a particularly menacing way.

"God," Heiji thinks to himself, and his shoulders sag a little. "Kudou is worse than some of the dragons I've known." The dark aura doesn't exactly help, it makes him look even worse than usual, but Heiji knows, knows full well: the emphasis is on "look."

"You've made it, huh?" he says when Heiji reaches his table. The murderous glint is gone from his eyes, replaced by a bit of weariness, but he seems like he's still happy to see him. It took years for the dragon, not being too good with humans, to fully decode this man, but now he's brave enough to say that he does know him.

"Yeah. Good to see you, man." He lets the bag slip from his shoulder, and he sits down. A few years ago, they would've started the usual round of "how have you been" and "what are you up to," but now, their meetings don't start like that anymore. It's not Heiji who changed, not really. The only thing that's different about him is that his knee-jerk reaction among humans isn't to run anymore. It's Kudou who's gotten sour and weary, and it's just another reminder that he's aging faster… It's a little stab in the heart, but Heiji learned how to move past it.

He orders something for himself, only half paying attention to actually what it is, while Kudou reads a case file, not unlike the last time they met. But this time, there's a set of gruesome looking photos in front of him as well that makes Heiji question if he really wants to drink anything at all.

"So, what brings you to Tokyo?" he asks casually, as he flips the page. He looks up for a moment, then turns back to the file.

"I've missed you and your sour face!" he grins, and Kudou allows himself an almost pout, looking just a little younger while doing so. "Come on, cheer up, you're just 25 and you look like an old geezer! Aren't you happy to see your buddy?" Heiji never knows what gets into him, acting loud and cheerful, unlike the reserved, burned out quietness he embodies at home, only that it feels much better to act like that, so he pretends he's not about to be 100 soon. He also pretends he's not obsessed with his friend's age or how the years seem to slip from his hands too quickly.

"That's all?" he asks, but a smile still appears on his lips, and he puts the files away.

"That's all!" The silence stretches out between them after that. It's not enough to feel too uncomfortable, but Heiji knows the reason behind it: Kudou is waiting for him to say something. He doesn't want to pry, but it didn't take him too long to notice that his friend never talks about his own life and what he does at home. And he's curious. Well, too bad for him – Heiji's lips are sealed over this matter.

"I see…" Judging by the looks he gives, he does see something, but then he takes a deep breath and leaves it alone. "Want to hear about this case I got?" It only makes sense that he would bring up cases – they became friends because of one. Heiji is grateful for the diversion, and nods.

So, Kudou talks about his case. The things he saw, the things he heard, the things he thought about, the things others thought about, all that. Around the middle of his speech, a little hesitance shows in his voice that grows and grows until he goes quiet all of a sudden. He doesn't look like he realized something, but Heiji asks him anyway. He just shakes his head then, and shows an almost bashful smile as he says: "I'm sorry. This isn't what old friends should talk about after not seeing each other for so long."

It doesn't really make sense for Heiji. It has because of his lack of experience, but really, Kudou is his only "old friend," so, to him, this IS what old friends talk about after not seeing each other for so long. The two of them, they always return to cases in the end, even if they take a slight detour to talk about friends, some TV show or just the weather. It might be a proof of how empty their lives are, but Heiji doesn't really care about that. Dragons who have to hide themselves and can't live their lives to the fullest because of that are expected be like that, and so, they accept it. Kudou, on the other hand…

"I don't mind," he says, just to keep the conversation going.

That's right. His friend didn't have that many years to accept that emptiness, and he… he doesn't even have that many years to spare. Half a decade wasted like that, it's almost fatal for a human. Heiji can't hold back that wave of pity he feels for the other, even if he knows it wouldn't be appreciated. All he can do is hide it to the best of his ability. Which is… well, almost non-existent, but if Kudou notices it, he doesn't mention it at least.

They discuss the case then. Heiji adds his own ideas, and then they both agree that they would need something, just a little more of evidence, to reach the conclusion. It's at that point that the waitress informs them that the café is closing.

"Let's go to my place then. You don't need to go to a hotel, there's a guest room for you."

Heiji, like he's usually been doing before, accepts it. He is led through the maze of streets and alleyways then, though this one route he follows is familiar to him. They don't talk, not continuously. One of them throws in a topic, they talk a little, and when it dies, they let it do so. To Heiji, who neither likes nor hates the silence, this is nothing new or interesting. But once again, his gaze wanders to his friend, and he thinks about how the other might feel. _He's not that desperate to fill the gaps with talk_ , he thinks to himself. While he doesn't seem to particularly enjoy being quiet, it looks like it doesn't hurt or worry him that much anymore, and that's good. _He finally got used to it._ Maybe it would be better if he didn't have to, but that's, sadly, not an option, not… _"Not yet" or "not anymore," I wonder…_ Heiji settles with "not yet," looking at those hunched shoulders. _He deserves a "not yet."_

* * *

Kudou's flat is a modest, clean little place at first glance. A harder, second check however reveals the true extent of that cleanness. It's eerie, simply put. Nothing is out of place, not a single knick-knack around. The only decoration is a modern painting with depressing dark colours and no real shapes, right above the pristine white couch. There's a glass coffee table too, absolutely spotless. A single newspaper rests on it, its sides perfectly aligned with the table's edges. The rest of the furniture loses its colours under the cold white light – not that there were many colours to begin with, just grey and light blue.

"Want a drink?"

"Yeah, thanks."

Heiji has to cringe. It seems like Kudou made a conscious effort to make his flat look as unwelcoming as possible. He doesn't know how it happened, gradually since his last visit (which was months ago) or suddenly. He wonders why, though – what's the point of removing all comfort a home can provide? Especially when Kudou obviously needs it. He sits down on the couch, feeling a little uncomfortable with the leather squeaking under him. It's as if no matter what he does, he'll only make a mess.

"I didn't let go of myself," Kudou says from behind him, his voice sharp and clear, "in case you were wondering." He hands Heiji his drink, then sits down. Some tension is already leaving his body, but he looks careful, too careful, to keep up appearances.

"I wasn't thinking of such thing." _Really, dude, you did the opposite. And went batshit crazy with it, too._

"Is that so…" He looks thoughtful for a moment, before an annoyed expression shows on his face. Again, he looks a little younger. "Everyone seems to think that nowadays. At work, too. Do I look like that?"

"Like what?"

"Like I let myself go." Shinichi huffs, dismissing the whole idea as ridiculous. Then he bursts out. "That's not going to happen, come on! What are they thinking, that I will become a drunkard, or, or… I don't even know what." He loses steam quickly, a little change from when Heiji last seen him. In the end, Kudou just looks at him helplessly. "Why would they think that anyway?"

"Your ghostly face might have something to do with it," Heiji mumbles into his glass and sips on the cold beer. His lips twist at the bitter taste – he only feels this when he wants to forget.

When he looks back at his friend, the other is watching him with surprise, and a moment later he asks, a little dumbfounded: "Ghostly?" Heiji feels his fingers tighten around the glass.

"Your eyes, dude, your eyes! Do you ever look into the mirror?" At that, Kudou scoffs, but he's interrupted before he could protest. "Your face is just screaming "I'm worked to death, please call help!" or something, man!"

"I-I'm not- I'm not worked to death, what are you even talking about?"

"Then you work _yourself_ to death!" Heiji claims, for some reason proud at himself, as he shoots up and points at the other, if a little overdramatically. He expects Kudou to deny it, to come up with a reason why he's wrong, but he just has this expression on his face as if he's been caught with his hand in the cookie jar.

 _Oh man, this is just sad._

The thing is, Heiji could guess the reasons behind that behaviour. He might not be so good with humans, but he can understand a few things about them, and loneliness is one of those things. Kudou can't stand being lonely anymore, simple as that. He has a life that's empty and he can't seem to fill it with anything. So what does he do? He turns to work, willing to tire himself out until he doesn't notice that he has nothing and no one in his life. And he's been doing it long enough that now he sees nothing wrong with it.

Heiji grits his teeth, but instead of sharing about his guesses on Kudou's life, he takes another sip from his beer. And then it clicks.

Forgetting.

He might not be able to fill his friend's life as another person could, but he can at least help him with forgetting his problems for a while. He doesn't see it as running away, more like temporary remedy. Maybe deep down he knows it's just a fancy name for a shitty method, but he ignores it as he slams down the glass on the table, and smiles to himself when the perfectly aligned newspaper flutters a little to the side from the impact.

"It's about time we have some fun! We're going drinking tonight!" he shouts, boisterous as he can be. Kudou groans, looking reluctant and holding his own glass protectively to his chest, but they are long outside before he could even finish his first round of complaints.

* * *

The next morning, when Heiji finds himself hugging the fridge close while slouching on the floor, he plays with the thought that it might've been a bad idea to go out and get drunk like that. His head certainly agrees, with daggers at his brain after the slightest movement. From what he can see, he concludes that he made it back to the apartment at least. Kudou is nowhere in sight though, so there might be a chance that he fell behind. Heiji would want to look into that quickly, but his body is slow and uncooperative.

It feels like several centuries go by before he can even stand up, and it doesn't help that the cool surface of the fridge tempts him to stay a lot. Even more time passes before his jelly legs solidify enough for him to walk without falling over right away. When that finally happens, he explores the apartment with careful steps, looking for his friend. Frankly, he doesn't know how long it takes him to find Kudou, only that he feels the slightest jealousy when he sees that the other, unlike him, made it to his bed, even if he didn't manage to take off his shoes or clothes. Still, he feels nice enough to let the other sleep, so he gets a glass of water on his own.

Kudou emerges from the room half an hour later, clutching at his head and trying to pull off a furious looking expression for Heiji, but he only looks miserable.

"You told me we're going to have fun," he says accusingly. "Now I don't even remember anything from it."

Heiji, sprawled on the couch and still recovering, tries to dig up something from his memory to prove him wrong, but it's a long process. In the end, he summons the image of several shots gathered on the table and Kudou's enthusiastic look over them, and settles with that.

"Yeah, but the shots, those were your idea!" he calls back, and little too loud and he immediately regrets it.

"It was yours, actually."

"So you do remember!" His smile doesn't quite reach his eyes, as his headache returned from speaking too loudly and just having to force himself to be coherent, but it seems to be enough to annoy Kudou. He feels satisfied already. Even more so when the other can't retort back with anything and just goes to sulk on the other side of the couch.

"Thank goodness I'm free today," he rasps, massaging his temples.

The first part of the day goes on just with the two of them recovering on the couch, with the help of water and painkillers. They banter about the things they do and don't remember about last night, then fight more when their memories seem to clash. They do it in good spirits though, grinning by the end. Kudou says in between honest-to-god giggles how he swears he remembers Heiji ballerina dancing on top of a table. But then he adds that he probably joined him later on, or at least he remembers really wanting to. Heiji in return talks about how Kudou was definitely serenading someone in the pub, more off-key than usual. To be honest, he completely makes that one up, but it puts this mortified grin on the other's face along with a little blush, so he's happy. Anything to make him look more alive.

What breaks them out of their haze in the end is the loud grumbling of their stomach. Kudou just groans at it, burying his face in a pillow, but Heiji is already on his feet. Like hell he's going to let his friend shut himself in like that. With the same energy and stubbornness he had yesterday, he drags the other along. They're already outside when he bothers to ask what they should eat, when they've already left, so Kudou wouldn't be able to stall for time with being indecisive. It happened only once before, but Heiji is careful.

In the end, they pick a relatively quiet restaurant, just to not tempt another headache. They sit down, they order, everything seems to be alright. Heiji enjoys the moment, some peace and he's also not alone, but with someone he actually trusts. To some extent. With some luck, he'll be able to improve Kudou's mood too, if only temporarily, if only with silly jokes and banter. Whatever works, really.

But then he sees his friend wilting, just like some sad little flower, hunch and curl up as much as he can. Heiji doesn't get what's happening, and he feels anxious that maybe he messed up something. He shouldn't have stayed quiet for so long, he chides himself, his friend obviously needs distraction now and he just failed at providing it!

"Hey, what's wrong, buddy?" he asks, then curses at himself when his voice sounds too desperate. Kudou just looks up at him, then turns away again, chuckling and sounding painfully bitter.

"I just remembered… we came here once. She seemed to have so much fun…" Heiji doesn't have to hear more, he gets it right away. Kudou has that wistful look in his eyes and that sad, bitter smile that wobbles just a little.

"Should we go somewhere else?"

"N-no, it's fine." _It clearly isn't_ , Heiji thinks, then curses his lack of knowledge about humans and their coping when he can't decide what the right decision would be – leave and distract, or stay and let Kudou make peace with the place. The waiter decides for them when he puts their plates on the table. It all tastes like ash in his mouth. When he glances over the table, he sees that his friend is the same, reluctant and only picking at his food.

Heiji's patience lasts for half an hour before he practically drags Kudou away. He does it for both of them, not wanting his friend to suffer more, and not being able to stand the dark mood either.

"Sorry…" Heiji blinks, then he feels his heart breaking a little at the self-loathing look on his friend, but he doesn't let it show. He just flings his arm around the guy's shoulder and ruffles his hair. He doesn't speak, it would be just a waste of words anyway – there's nothing he could say to Kudou that he hasn't heard before. He chooses to listen instead. "We should go out again."

"We're already out, dude," Heiji smiles, ruffling the other's hair a little more before his hands are batted away.

"No, I mean," he groans, "go somewhere. Not just, you know, stand on the street like this."

"Oh well, what are you thinking about?"

"Kid's having a heist tonight." Heiji blinks again.

"A heist? Really, dude? I know you're hard-working, but this is just-"

"It's not for work. It's just… fun."

"Hm… Didn't know you had a thing for getting covered in goo and glitter." That earns Heiji an exasperated smile.

"I'm pretty good at avoiding Kid's traps now." He frowns a little. "Well, usually. Last time he somehow still managed to dye my hair pink."

"Oh man, I need to see that." Kudou just winces at his shark grin.

"There are probably several pictures and videos of it already… So, you're coming?" Heiji shrugs.

"Yeah, sure. Might as well. And hey, maybe he'll dye your hair again."

"Maybe he'll dye yours instead," Kudou shoots back, but he's smiling. _It's going to be alright_ , Heiji tells himself.

* * *

Heiji barely has time to settle down on the couch, sinking into the uncomfortable leather, when Kudou hands him a little black notebook. It's opened on a page filled with Kudou's blocky handwriting and little scribbles.

"What do you want me to do with this thing?" He frowns a little at the smug grin of his friend, and it only widens at his question.

"This is Kid's riddle. Try to solve it."

"Oookay…" He reads and rereads the words, trying to piece together the meanings he digs out of the scrambled sentences. He's a little sorry now that he didn't think more about the riddle when he first heard it, but at least he can play along this time. "You already solved it?"

"Of course."

"Of course." Heiji sighs. Why else would Kudou do this if not to show off? Well. There was something cute about that, too. He accepted it already, the fact that other than occasionally teasing, he's mostly there to comfort and give in. Let the other have fun.

He squints at the first line. It reminds him of the saying "casting pears before swine," which is…

"Hey, Kudou. I think he's bitching."

"You think?" He laughs. "It suits him, you know, being the diva he is."

"Any particular reason why he's doing it?" A part of him is stalling for time, another part is genuinely curious, and a third part just wants to keep the other talking, enjoying the sight of that happy little grin that took the place of that weary, sad look.

"I was pretty busy lately so I didn't go to his heists." Heiji looks up, his eyebrows rising.

"So?"

"So he might be feeling like he's only up against chumps." A shrug. "Not sure what goes on in that foolish head of his."

"Wow. He likes you that much?"

"I can… keep up with him. Guess he likes that." Kudou looks a little bashful and just a little uncomfortable. Heiji just smirks at him – he feels like there's a history there, and he wants to know all about it.

"Does he now?"

"Just read it."

"Okay, okay." He frowns. "Is he… stealing something blue?"

"A necklace of sapphires, to be exact." That joyful expression on his face doesn't falter as he waits for Heiji to continue, while staying eager to show what he got out of the riddle.

"Huh. So you already told me it'll be tonight… How did you get that?"

Kudou blinks at him. "You… you give up?"

"I've never tried to solve any of Kid's riddles, you know." He grumbles, before he smiles up at his friend. "Go on ahead. Impress me, man."

"Well, alright. In the last line, the words 'soaked Earth' refer to the date, 3rd June, Saturday. June is the month of water, and Saturday is associated with the element of earth. And then the first line with the pig? It specifies the time, the hour of pig – so it'll happen between 9 and 11 pm."

"So," he starts, already feeling the laughter building up inside him. "He went ahead, specified the time and insulted you all under the same breath. I think I like him."

"Anyway," he raises his voice a little, ignoring Heiji's remark, "he also hints on how he'll approach. Coming 'wingless from the sky' probably means that he won't be just sneaking in and disguising himself."

"So he'll come from above?"

"Yeah. I'm not exactly sure how, but… They'll probably bring in the helicopters, maybe guard the air ducts too? Also… I have a bad feeling about this part here." He points at the end of the second line, with a little frown on his face.

"'…sky so bright…' What about it?"

"I can only guess, really. But it wouldn't be unlike him to use bright lights or flash grenades or… fireworks… I don't know. To be safe, the Task Force is going to get something to shield their eyes. I hope that'll be enough."

"Huh. Does he do this often? Hinting at what he'll do?"

"Sure he does."

"That's… I dunno if he's brave or stupid. And what's this about invitation? What invitation? Did someone seriously invite this dude… to steal stuff? Or wait, it was a challenge, wasn't it?"

"Lure, actually. Museums and galleries tend to do that, lately. Gathering all sorts of gems, hoping that Kid would go there. It's good advertisement for them, whether he's caught or not. And he gives back what he steals anyway."

"Why is he stealing in the first place then? Seems like a waste of time."

"I know. I don't get it either. I tried to ask him once, but he… he wasn't very willing to answer." Heiji perks up at that.

"What, you guys chit-chat?

"N-no, we just-"

"Ooh, Kudou, is there something you're not telling me?" He's almost worried that his grin will split his face in half, but he can't help himself. The unimpressed look he gets in return only makes it grow wider.

"I know what you're implying. Stop it."

"Oh well." He sighs, shrugs a little, but that smile, it's not leaving his face. "Now at least I'm sure I'll have to go."

"Why?"

"To see if I approve of him."

* * *

Kunida Art Gallery is a minimalistic, glass and concrete fortress near the centre of the city. It is by no means a beautiful place, and the owner, one Kunida Soichirou manages to show perfectly what kind of people visit the place – the type who looks at art not for enjoyment, but for building and maintaining prestige, as well as showing off knowledge and taste that doesn't exist.

Heiji eyes the man with barely masked disgust – it's absolutely not because he's bitter about the guy humiliating him before others, criticizing his clothes, claiming he was too casual for the place, oh no. He just… can't stand his type.

"You're going to burn holes in his back if you keep glaring at him like that," Kudou says from behind him, but he doesn't look more sympathetic towards the owner either. "Just ignore him."

"Will do," he growls.

He didn't like the place at all. Or the people, any of them. The cops, they seemed alright, but they dashed all across the gallery like poisoned mice with dark goggles hanging from their necks, leaving only the owners and some rich family - to whom apparently half of the exhibition belonged - for further inspection. Prissy, snobbish bunch, noses held high, too proud to talk to anyone they deemed unworthy. Double-triple checking every safety mechanism, whispering among themselves with that uncertain expression – as if they've regretted the mayhem they summoned upon themselves.

"A little too late for that now," he mumbles to himself, not even trying to deny how pleased he is with all this.

Maybe he would be impressed by all the security measures they've taken to stop Kid, if not for the fact that Kudou explained to him, just a few minutes earlier, all the weaknesses of it, with painstaking care. For example, that army of freshly hired security guards next to the police? Just more people to disguise as, and they didn't even know those people at all. Even if the riddle seemingly hinted at something else, they should be more careful.

"It's ridiculous, really. He could just walk in as me, and people wouldn't know any better." Again, there's that odd fondness in his voice that Heiji doesn't quite get. Kudou's not the only one though – almost all Task Force members sound like that too, even the inspector, despite all the insults towards the thief.

He's curious, more than he'd like to admit. Though at first he only came to see if he could witness more things he could tease his friend later on with, now he really wants to see what makes some people so fond and others so afraid of Kid.

The cops, the guards, they all begin to settle down, take position. The owners stand just a couple feet away from the necklace's glass case, craning their necks in every possible direction, like birds. Heiji watches them, his annoyance mixing with anticipation, until Kudou pulls him towards the entrance of the room.

"Hey, where are we going? I thought we don't have to guard the door."

"We're more likely to survive if we don't stand in the middle."

"Maybe you just don't want me to see you with pink hair."

"Maybe I just don't want to see you with pink hair."

"Aw man, that's cold. I'd look fabulous."

"We'll see if Kid thinks so too."

From the entrance, they can see the large hall as a whole, the only place in the large gallery which holds some real beauty. It's not much, just the large white pillars at the sides and the skylight at the far end, but Heiji easily finds this one the most pleasant room for the exhibition. He leans against the cool marble walls, and watches the rest of the people buzz with excitement, as they line up like chess pieces on the board. He's the same as well, though. For once, he doesn't feel that wall between him and other humans, for once he's just like them. He wonders if it ever happened to him before.

"Any minute now." The low grumble from Nakamori tears him out of his thoughts, and he glances at the man. Even he seems a little giddy, despite doing his best to mask it with his usual grumpy exterior.

"Is it always like this?" Heiji asks. He doesn't like how he sounds just like some child who's been taken to the circus for the first time, but he forgives himself easily enough. The situation is oddly similar.

"Well, usually my men don't make a fool of themselves even before the heist…" He casts a disapproving look at a group of officers taking silly pictures of themselves with their goggles on, then turns towards the two of them and hands them their own goggles. "So busy running around, you two even forgot to take these. You're not supposed to make it that easy for the bastard."

"We're not going to." Kudou smirks, looking just as eager as Heiji feels. The inspector grunts something in return before he goes to put his men in place, then talk to the owners, still fretting over the case of the necklace. They insisted on staying, something that no doubt made the inspector angry.

Goggles safely covering his eyes, Heiji finds himself hopping from one leg to another, excited to do something, anything. He wonders, how can the Task Force even stand this maddening wait? Maybe they've gotten used to it.

The lights go out. For a moment, the room is in complete darkness, before they hear faint rumbles from above. The people in the hall, they whisper to themselves, to each other, in surprise. The burst of colours shocks them, waves of blue and orange coating the white walls through the skylight. Fireworks.

"So that's what he meant by bright sky," Heiji mutters to himself. Some of the guards take of their goggles, he does the same. Fireworks are hardly enough to blind them here. It all seems pointless, though, Kid's achieving nothing with this, right? He can barely hear Kudou hissing "No, don't!" and then-

The lights are back, brighter, harsher than before. He can hear the others groaning in pain, blinded by it. Heiji's own eyes, a little stronger than a human's, can barely take it, and he curses to himself. But through the starbursts of white, he can see someone, if faintly, standing right on top of the case of the necklace, just as the screams of the owners ring through the hall.

"There you are." He grins, springing forward, not letting his momentary blindness stop him. He's feverish, like a hound before foxhunt, and feels his blood singing with that eagerness in his veins. This is it, he's finally-

His legs give out beneath him, and he falls to the ground. He doesn't even get to register the pain, because with startling suddenness his senses fade. He tries to grab at the last bits of his conscience, confused and scared, but it all seems to be in vain. It's like some pink mist is enveloping him, refusing to let go, pushing him to the ground. He gasps, but there's no air around him. He can't… breathe…

With muted cries all around him, the world fades to black.


	2. Private poltergeist

_Hello everyone! ^^ I'm back with another chapter! ...eh, that's... that's kinda obvious, you guys can clearly see it's a new chapter, um..._

 _Anyways! I wanted to thank you for the kind comments, they cheered me up and kept me motivated while I was working on the second chapter - I hope you'll enjoy this one as well!_

 _C asked a few questions, so how about I try to answer them? Dragons don't really die from loneliness, but they can get depressed from it, and that... that can do bad things to them. It all depends on how well they can make peace with living a like a hermit or how well they manage to adjust. As for Kaito... Why don't you guys figure it out together with Heiji? I can assure you, he'll do his best to find out more about the white clown who keeps eluding him~_

 _Special thanks to Hebiaczek, who still endures my moodswings and helps me with editing like a true boss._

 _Please enjoy~_

* * *

It takes a while to emerge from the pure, black nothingness for Heiji, before the world comes into being beyond his closed eyes. Words, very much like gibberish, push through the walls erected by his closed off mind, and gradually, his other senses join him too – the cool air on his cheeks, a hand touching his shoulder, his back pressed against something solid, like a wall. Just like waking up, he reluctantly pushes away the last bits of sleep, but savouring the peaceful emptiness for just a little longer. Yes, like waking up after a good, long nap…

He opens his eyes with a gasp, and he lurches forward. He's vaguely aware of hands trying to steady him while he tries to figure out where exactly he is and why he doesn't remember falling asleep. His surroundings come into focus only after an annoyingly long time, much like the voices around him.

"…alright? Calm down, it's okay now, you hear…"

He sits with his back propped against the wall of the exhibition hall, and on his right, there's an unfamiliar man, crouching next to him, one hand raised, as if to soothe him. Heiji wants to push him away just as the man pats his shoulder, trying to be reassuring as he keeps talking. He pays less attention to his words and more to the man simply being there, close to him while he was unguarded.

"…no need to worry, just the sleeping gas, happens…"

With a blink, he brings back the memories, rushing past his eyes: the dark, the fireworks, the lights, the figure standing on top of the glass case, and the pink mist all around him… Sleeping gas, apparently. His heart just beats faster, terror glazing his mind.

"...alright now, don't worry, we're just…"

 _No, you don't get it_ , Heiji almost screams, his senses somehow shutting down and becoming hyperaware at the same time through the haze of fear. _You're not supposed to be able to put me to sleep, that's why dragons stayed alive for so long, your weak toy-drugs don't work on dragons, they never did, that's why you could never turn us into your playthings, I'm not supposed to sleep what did you do to me-_

"Hattori. Calm down."

Kudou appears almost out of nowhere and stands in front of him, looking down at him with worry. Heiji can, just barely, see a few odd things about him, like his flushed cheeks or his messy hair that looks like he spent a few hours in a windstorm, but almost all of it is washed away by the relief he feels – if there was one human he trusted, even with his life, it was Kudou.

So he tries to overcome the fear, realizing too late, that a normal person not supposed to freak out this much, and he very much tries to blend in as a "fellow normal person."

"Kid put you to sleep, that's all. I was hoping he wouldn't do that the first time you came with me – guess you just weren't lucky." His voice is clearer and less frantic than the man's next to him (who, Heiji notices, is wearing a uniform), and like he's talking to a frightened child.

"Are you saying that… this is normal?"

"Absolutely," says the man next to him, nodding so hard that Heiji is worried his head will fall off. "I guess you could say our division gets the most naptime," he adds with a sheepish smile.

 _He looks completely harmless,_ Heiji thinks, as the fear slowly leaves him. Well, looks don't mean much, you could be a ruthless killer and still look innocent, but…He doesn't need to focus on that. What he needs right now is to mask the rest of the fear looming over him. He's not much of an actor, but he has to try anyway.

He closes his eyes for a moment, takes a deep breath, and-

"Are you telling me," he starts, his voice as dark as he wanted it to be, "that this guy regularly gases people?"

"Yeah, something like that." Kudou tilts his head, looking at him curiously. He doesn't understand the change in Heiji's tone yet.

"Maybe you should've told me then!" _Yes, anger works just fine_ , he thinks. _Kudou is used to me being angry, and it's less weird than fear._ "This clown is known for putting people to sleep, and you knew this all along! Who does he think he is, anyway?" He glances around for just a moment, sees the cop next to him carefully step back, sees Kudou blink at him, surprise evident on his face, and confirms it for himself: he's going in the right direction. Anger makes him seem less vulnerable, excuses the upset appearance he's shown earlier, and suits him better. He stands up, if a little shakily, embraces all the anger he can muster up, and directs it straight towards the thief. "You think you can get away with putting me to sleep like that, huh? Just you wait, you bastard!"

"Hahaha, alright, alright, calm down!" Kudou laughs, and pats him on the back. "You'll get your revenge next time." He doesn't sound like he really means it, it's more to reassure Heiji, but he doesn't mind. He already achieved his goal.

"You bet I will! On both of you!" he exclaims and points at his friend. The cop next to him scrambles to his legs and smiles at him apologetically.

"W-well… like I told you, it happens even to the best of us. He always does it." He holds up his hands in a placating manner. Heiji snorts. The guy is basically like a mom trying to defend his child, except "the child" in this case is a criminal.

"Then it's about time he stopped getting away with it!"

He spends the rest of the evening fuming like that. He manages to get himself genuinely angry – the _nerve_ some thieves have -, but it takes a lot out of him. By the time he hits the bed in Kudou's guest room, he doesn't find enough energy in himself to actually analyse the events of the heist and what they mean to him. He falls asleep almost instantly.

* * *

 _Hot and cold waves of fear, of terror, all fall down at Heiji. His heart is following a rhythm he doesn't know yet, a beat that's too fast and too wild, it might as well kill him. His mind is absent, nothing guides him other than primal instinct._

 _His soles are cut up, jagged stones and sticks slice through skin, straight into flesh. He doesn't have it in him to cry out. He wants to, he desperately wants to shout, ask for help from the world around him, but his throat is closed off, as if it's been sealed. Nothing escapes his mouth other than pained gasps._

 _For the first time ever in his sheltered life, he truly feels like everything in existence out for blood, his blood. It drips on the cold forest floor, scarlet markings on the grass. He's leaving his trail for whoever's chasing him, and they'll find him, they will… The last sparks of sunlight paint everything red._

 _He runs into a branch. It cuts his forehead, and as he keeps going, the red drops slowly reach his eyes. He falls from a hill then, rolls down through dust and weeds, sharp thorns cutting into his arms, his hands. He doesn't wish for an ending, and definitely not an ending like this, but when he starts breathing again at the end of his fall, he feels… disappointed? Sad? Angry? He doesn't know, and he doesn't have time to wonder._

 _When he opens his eyes, he's standing once again. His legs are just a bit steadier, and he feels something cut into his palms. Two pieces of obsidian, blinking up at him in dull light, under the brightening sky just before dawn. His blood smears over them, so he makes a quick effort to clean them with his clothes, though he's dirty from head to toe._

 _He holds them close to his chest, over his heart._

* * *

Heiji wakes up covered in cold sweat, and he shoots up in his bed right away. It takes him a couple of seconds to realize where he is – Kudou's guest room. The fact that he's at his friend's place immediately calms him a little, but the dream he saw is still vivid in his memory.

Usually he's fairly good at recognizing when he's dreaming, but this one… He felt that terror from a long time ago, felt it like he hasn't in a while. It was never more than a painful reminder tucked in the back of his mind, but now it returned. And it still had the power to cripple Heiji. To utterly ruin him. If anyone were to see him right now, it could be a disaster. His carefully crafted façade of a normal human being slipped to the point that there would be no saving him if he weren't alone – he can feel fangs poking at his lips, claws getting caught in the blanket, and from the weak streetlight from outside, he can just see patches of turquoise scales all over his body. Maybe even his eyes changed, though he can't tell without a mirror.

What a mess you are, he chides himself.

He holds out his palm in front of himself, watching the small white pearl that appears in it. It has a soft glow, one that soothes his mind. His breathing slows down, the gasps giving way to deep, even breaths, and when he blinks, he doesn't see the phantom images of his nightmare anymore.

His curls his fingers, holds his closed fist close to his heart, feels the heavy thumps through his shirt. When he opens his hand, it's empty.

He can't fall asleep again.

* * *

The morning finds Heiji on Kudou's couch, watching some morning cartoon with a cup of badly made coffee. Frankly, the adventures of magical girl Mimiko don't really excite him, but at least he's not sitting in complete silence, which he appreciates a lot.

Last night was a disaster, he admits to himself. His self-control, which he believed to be fairly good and solid, has been destroyed by… what? Silly images? Well, Heiji knows that there's more to that, and that it all started with the heist and that he got knocked out, but that alone doesn't give him an excuse. A dragon with a weak self-control might as well be dead.

And that's not the end of it. The pearl, why did he summon the pearl?

Every dragon has one, a pearl that holds their powers and their very soul inside. It has the power to heal any illness, to take anyone back from the jaws of death, to soothe any distraught creature, and to share the long centuries of a dragon's life with one single person. It holds the very essence of a dragon's soul – thus, it's their greatest treasure. They say it's normally just embedded in their skull – a fact Heiji never felt the need to confirm.

And because it's so precious, it should never be summoned on a whim. And yet, he called out to it, just because he was a little upset.

He sighs. Well, these were his mistakes, the things he'll need to think about in the future. Now, as for the rest… The thing that disturbs him the most, which keeps lingering at the back of his mind, unvoiced until now: Kaitou Kid found a way to put a dragon to sleep, to render it completely defenceless. It's not something a normal human should be able to do, they simply didn't have the equipment for it. The only ones who had the means to do that were… Heiji gulped and gripped his mug tighter. The hunters. They, and they only, could restrain a dragon that way.

The first thought that comes after this is of course that Kid has to be a hunter. Sort of a kneejerk reaction. And Heiji isn't the type to deny his instincts, but he also isn't the type to deny his brain, when it has something more to say. And it's quick to add that Kid had no way of knowing that he would be there at his heist, and even if he did, he couldn't have known what he is. That already reassures him, though not completely, because it means that he wasn't attacking Heiji personally. But still, the fact that he has something like that in his arsenal, that gas he could use against a dragon is worrying.

"Hattori? What are you… watching?"

Kudou sleepily walks over to the couch, blinking at the TV in honest-to-god fascination. Heiji tears himself out of his musings too, just in time to witness Mimiko shoot up towards the sky with a battle cry to defeat… whoever she's fighting that week.

"Love Soldier Mimiko?" he asks with a raspy voice.

"Why?" There isn't even any judging in Kudou's voice, it's more like he discovered a new lifeform and now he wants to discover everything about it.

"Um. I didn't want to watch the news?" That seems to be satisfying enough for an answer, as Kudou just shrugs and shuffles over to the kitchen – probably to get some coffee. Well, if there's one thing that seems completely unchanging about his friend, it's his caffeine addiction.

On his own again, he considers his problem. He needs to find out what Kid's deal is, to find out whether he's any serious threat. Based on everything he heard about the thief (which, to be honest, isn't too much), the guy is pretty peaceful, making an effort to keep people at his heists unharmed. Despite being a criminal, he has this pacifist persona he's showing to the public, which adores him in return. Heiji isn't sure he can trust it – after all, appearances are just that: appearances. Nobody knows what's behind that grinning mask of Kid, as he's been never caught before. But, there were people who came close to it, people who, if only barely, know him.

Kudou returns from the kitchen with a steaming cup of coffee (strictly black without sugar and cream, Heiji guesses and cringes), already looking more awake and aware than before.

"So," he starts after taking a sip, "have you figured out your revenge for me?" Now, just the condescending smirk he has on his face would be enough to make Heiji try his hardest to come up with the most humiliating thing he'd make Kudou do, but. But! He is a dragon with self-control who has his priorities straight. That's what he tells himself as he lets the perfect opportunity to bring his friend down a notch fly by.

"Yes," he says, all business. The overly serious tone he uses makes Kudou smile a little. "You're going to help me research Kid."

A blink. Then another. "That's… that's all?"

"Yes."

"You're… oddly serious about one part of your vendetta and oddly easygoing about the other. Should I be jealous?"

"Just be grateful you got off easily."

"I am!" Kudou laughs and almost spills his coffee. "So, how shall I assist you with getting your great vengeance?"

"Well, um…" He sits there, considering, for a while before his friend takes pity on him and offers:

"Perhaps you could check the archives, read the reports about him. If I vouch for you, they'll let you in, so no problem there."

"Thanks, man."

"You're welcome."

* * *

They head to the police station soon after. The place smells of coffee, enough to actually hurt Heiji's nose. He needs to dim his senses further before he gets overwhelmed. He doesn't like it, being surrounded by so many people and having to weaken himself, even though he's nowhere near defenceless as a human. Maybe he got too used to using his powers just a little all the time.

Kudou introduces him to his colleagues. Some recognize him, reminisce about a few cases they heard about him solving – he smiles good-naturedly, trying his best to act like a normal human and deflect questions that could expose him. It mostly goes well. Only a few people keep asking when he declines, pushing on and on. Kudou, despite his own obvious curiosity, is kind enough to walk him out of those situations. Apparently he's gotten better with reading the mood.

They reach the archives soon enough though. It's a stuffy room, bathing in golden sunlight that dances on the dust in the air. An old man frowns at them from behind a small desk covered in stacks of paper.

"Young man, why are you bringing some intruder in here again?"

"He's not an intruder, Yuzu-san." Kudou strolls into the room with ease, like he knows every corner of it perfectly. He brushes the side of a bookshelf with his fingertips, and sighs, sounding pained. Heiji doesn't understand why, but he feels anxious about the archives all of sudden.

"That's what you said the last time, too, when you brought that lady here. Made a mess of reports, too," the man, Yuzu-san, fumes. And Heiji gets it. He wonders – is there any place for his friend that isn't tainted by painful memories?

"I'm sorry, Yuzu-san." He looks down, curls his hands into fists. It lasts barely for a second though, before he's all professional smiles and golden-boy voice again. "This is Hattori Heiji, a friend of mine. He's a detective and he'd like to look through Division Two's reports."

"You got another fool to chase that clown around?" The old man frowns at them some more, before he sighs. "Let's hope he isn't as messy as you are." With that, he retreats behind the heaps of paper on his desks.

"Thank you, Yuzu-san." He pats Heiji on his shoulder, then points at a fragile looking shelf. "That's the shelf you're looking for. I'm going to my office now, but I'll check up on you later. Or you can come to me if you're finished early. Good luck."

"Thanks." When Kudou leaves, he walks over to the shelf he was pointed at. It's a little intimidating, as it towers above him and there are a lot more folders than what should normally fit there. They're clearly organized, dates, names scrawled on their edges with a bird scratch-like handwriting. Heiji's hand hover over them, hesitant to take any of them from their place – wanting to keep the order and afraid that the old, rickety shelf might just collapse on him if he so much as touches it.

Just when he'd finally pick one, he hears a chair scraping against the floor, and soon enough the old man is standing by his side. He's watching the shelf intently, rather than looking at Heiji, sharp black eyes scanning the endless amount of reports in front of them.

"What are you looking for, boy?" he asks. The steeliness is gone from his voice. "What do you want to know about that clown?"

Heiji is quiet only for a short while, as he overcomes the surprise at the man's willingness, before he says: "Everything."

Yuzu flashes him a wry smile, as his hands ghost over the oldest folders. "Got you good, huh? And now out to get your revenge on him." He dismisses Heiji's shocked look with a wave of his fingers. "Lots of people start out that way, this is nothing new. That brat who brought you in, he was the same too. Almost the entire division. I would say that you're wasting your time, but… Heh. I would love to see you people get back at that fool sometime. Maybe you'll be more successful."

The old man ends up helping him with the reports, explaining, adding his own thoughts occasionally. Through his words, the colourful but aggressive reports from Nakamori and the duller, more forgiving reports from his men, he almost relives several heists. They vary in scale, sometimes quick as lightning and sometimes long and tiring, sometimes easy and sometimes frustratingly complicated. Despite his original purpose, Heiji finds himself enjoying it, as if he's reading an adventure story. Even the old man seems to be having fun, a smile spreading on his lips.

They go through several folders like that (not all, Yuzu seems to filter them according to some kind of logic), when suddenly there's a gap. It's visible even on the shelf, with the way the reports are organized, and then it's confirmed by the dates as well. There were 8 years, Heiji realizes, undocumented. He looks at the old man questioningly, who gets it quickly enough.

"It's not like we lost those reports, mind you. The fool, he simply vanished. For 8 years. Hell knows where he's been."

"But why-"

"No one knows. Those who chased him, they were desperate while he was gone, jumping on every single riddle they got, all turning out to be fakes – people hoping to get some fame, some advertisement, some excitement. Some were sick, claiming to be him. Others were just fooling around. Whatever the reason, we haven't seen the real one for long, long years before he decided to march back in, unchanged. Like time has stopped for him." The man shakes his head, sighs. "Sometimes I wonder if those goons are still just chasing a fake." He slaps his palm on the table they sit at, then stands up, and walks over to his own desk. "Read the rest on your own now, boy. I have to finish some work."

And so, Heiji keeps reading on his own. He goes through several years and several heists once again, and the realization hits him: despite all this, he never managed to find out anything about Kid at all. For all the lights and glitter, the man still remains in the darkness for him, and it frustrates Heiji to no end. The Task Force had several suspects (one of them being Kudou himself), and yet it all seems weak, just pointing at random and hoping to strike gold.

He almost gives up and stomps out of the archives, furious and impatient, when he finds another set of reports written by one Hakuba Saguru. He might've heard the name a few times, and that's about all he knows about the man himself, but his reports are all the more interesting. Not for his dry, down to earth style that make a textbook seem like Jules Verne, but for the things he mentions. Sure, most of it is as regular as heist reports get, but then, unlike other members of the Task Force, he calls attention to some "worrying details," as he puts it. He talks about bullet holes in walls, sounds of gunshot, even snipers sometimes. Worrying is an understatement, Heiji thinks. Then again, this Hakuba Saguru tends to understate things related to Kid. But even so, there's urgency in his tone, like he's afraid. And the weirdest of it all is that he doesn't seem to be worried for the public as much as for Kid himself.

None of this is enough, though. He needs more information to put Kid in the right category and decide what to do with him.

 _As they say, if you want something done, you'll have to do it yourself._

* * *

He walks down the corridors with an odd sense of accomplishment that's mixed with the bitterness from not reaching his goal. No matter what, being able to defeat Division Two's army of reports has to be an achievement. It just has to be. He left the archives only a short while ago, trying and failing to shove back the folders to their place, thanking the old man for his help. He goes on his merry way afterwards, but it takes him a minute to realize that he doesn't exactly know where Kudou's office is. So he rushes back to Yuzu-san to ask for help, who, after a deadpan look, gives him directions which he tries to keep in mind.

The police station, similar to a bee nest, still feels a bit more peaceful than the streets. People rush past him just like outside, too engrossed in their work to pay any mind to him, but something is different. Even people on their coffee breaks prefer to focus on chatting rather than to watch him.

It's nice, the way he can almost let himself to be completely at ease. He eavesdrops on the passing conversations unabashedly, observing humans, trying to learn, to get to know them better. Sure, it's for survival's sake as well, but also because he enjoys it. Excited murmurs about a "really dashing Tanaka-san," happy little cheers that those two men in the corner fail to keep down as their favourite team wins, "see, Riko, I knew it would look good on you!" Heiji smiles. They are so full of life, so cheerful! Humans can be such delightful creatures sometimes.

"…our dragon was in a hurry last night…"

 _What?_

He stops dead in his tracks before he reminds himself that he doesn't want to look too unnatural. He bends down to fiddle with his shoelaces, pretending that they came lose as he keeps listening.

"Huh? You mean our kitsune?"

"Have you seen him? He was flying, even the inspector said so! He can't be-"

"Kitsune can shapeshift, you know. They can easily turn into-"

The excited chatter from the two girls fade away as they walk away. Heiji can't exactly follow them without looking too unnatural, something he must avoid, to his frustration. He stands up before he could spend too much time squatting there, another suspicious thing, and moves on, mulling over the words.

They didn't sound too serious, for all he knew, they could've talked about a TV show or whatever, but… What if they didn't? Heiji hates those what ifs, because they make everything so complicated, but he can't just ignore them. If not his own life, then maybe someone else's, perhaps another dragon's could depend on whether he takes action or not. The problem is that he only caught a fragment of that conversation, so he couldn't understand much of it… He sighs. For now, all he can do is ask Kudou. Maybe it's just an inside joke of the police or something.

When he reaches the door, he can't help but feel relieved. Although the police station feels safer, he still has to be on guard.

He enters without knocking, his slightly cocky façade back in place and he surveys the place. It's just like Kudou's apartment, cold and lifeless, except it at least has the excuse of being a workplace. Maybe it isn't as squeaky clean and just a little more cluttered, but the office still lacks all personality. The bright walls, the black, white and glass furniture and the chrome lights are boring and uncomforting. And the last piece of the furniture, Kudou himself, blends in almost perfectly.

But at least he has the decency to force some life into himself when he sees Heiji.

"You could've knocked," he says, but his tone is light.

"I could've." Heiji grins at him and sprawls across the chair in front of his friend's desk. "But I prefer to catch you by surprise."

"Good for you," he replies dryly, and types a few things down. "I was just about to check on you. Are you already finished?"

"I guess so. I didn't even attempt to read all those records, though, there were too many… The old man helped me with those."

"That's nice of him. Did you find anything useful?"

"Well… I got slightly more familiar with his tricks, if that counts," he says, fighting a pout, when his bitterness overpowers his triumph just a little.

"Of course it counts," Kudou answers with a smile, as if he's trying to make Heiji feel better. But then his grin widens as he continues: "It helps you stay awake longer."

"Screw you, it's your fault for not telling me!" he shouts. His friend, already used to his outbursts, doesn't even flinch.

"Sure, sure, whatever makes you feel better."

Heiji grumbles some more, something about treacherous friends and stupid thieves, before he remembers the conversation he heard outside.

"Oh, right. Are you guys chasing after dragons and kitsune now as well?" he asks, trying to sound as casual as possible.

"Dragons and kitsune? Where did you hear that?"

"I overheard two girls talking about it on my way here. Something about 'your dragon' or 'your kitsune.' They were arguing about which it could be." Kudou considers that for a moment, rubbing his chin, before he chuckles.

"They were talking about Kid."

Heiji groans. "You can't be serious."

"I wish I wasn't." He shakes his head slowly. "We have a joke poll here, you see. Some bright guy decided that Kid can't possibly be human, because he's too good, and then everyone started going on and on about what kind of… ugh, creature he might be."

"And you guys decided that he's… he's a dragon?" He struggles to keep his voice casual. The idea itself is just so… odd. It sickens him. There's a chance that the guy is a hunter, and others choose to paint him as a dragon? A dragon like him?

"Actually, the most popular creature in the poll is tengu. At least, it was when I last heard about it."

"Oh my god." He buries his face in his palms for a bit, before he thinks of something funny. "Oi, Kudou. What did you vote for?" His friend grins.

"I voted for oni."

"Hahahaha. Do you hate him that much?" He hums. "I think… I'd vote for an enenra."

"The… smoke youkai?"

"Suits him, don't you think?"

They joke around for the rest of the day, as Heiji sets up his temporary headquarters in Kudou's office. He mostly distracts his friend from work, which he should feel guilty about, but the little smiles he earns, and the way the shadows lift from those sad eyes more and more… It makes it all worth it.

He almost feels like a proper friend.

* * *

Heiji faces with the same problem everytime he prepares to leave his friend's place: he wants to stay. He feels it in his hands as he packs his sports bag, in his legs that are reluctant to move forward, on his lips that can't say that he's not going back for a while. He hates it. Surely, if he had more friends, human or dragon, almost doesn't matter, he wouldn't be so attached.

But, because in theory he's a fellow, normal human with a normal human life, he has to pretend that he has work to do, that he has something to return to, that he can't stay in Tokyo for too long.

Oh well.

Kudou walks him to the station, trying to make small talk. He assumes it's because he sees that reluctance on Heiji, and possibly misunderstands it. He's too tired to wonder what his friend might be thinking, but at least he plays along with him, joining the meaningless chatter. In the end, he appreciates it.

The station is a too full with people going home after work. He's tempted to wait until it gets dark instead, so he could fly home. But changing his mind all of sudden would be weird. All he can do is take the pat on his shoulder with a good natured smile, return Kudou's best wishes, and get on the train when it arrives.

* * *

Four days is all it takes for Heiji to sink back into that empty boredom he's so used to when he's at home. The little time he spent with his friend already seems distant, almost dream-like, it might as well never happened.

He's back on his couch, staring up at the spot on the ceiling where the paint is peeling off, with his feet resting on the coffee table. Everything is normal once again, everything is like it usually is. He shouldn't complain, really. Normalcy means safety, safety means staying alive. And yet… He finds himself wanting more than just that. He can't put his finger on what it is, and so he tries to ignore that tiny, elusive thought the best he can.

He solved a case, just a minor one: someone blackmailing a CEO, desperate for money. Sloppy culprit, easy to catch. Heiji found no enjoyment in it, and so, it failed achieving the goal, which would be to chase the boredom away. He saved the neighbour's cat then, Haru-ouji as they call the grumpy furball, when it got stuck on a tree. Lastly, his coffeemaker died, so he had to buy a new one.

Just little annoyances, as if life is telling him: "I could give you something interesting to amuse yourself with, but I hate you." He sighs. He wonders if he's expecting too much. Maybe century old dragons just don't get to have something exciting in their life. And then, as if the embodiment of life itself appeared in his head, he hears a voice: "I already gave you something exciting, why aren't you satisfied?" He lets out a groan. Life truly does hate him.

Like his own private poltergeist, Kid's wispy figure appears in his memories, vividly this time, without the pink mist hindering Heiji. Exciting isn't really the best word for Kid at the moment, though he has to admit that it suits the thief. Right now, however, he's more like… unknown.

Heiji tries recalling what he learnt at the archives, tries looking for any hint that might've been there. And nothing particularly helpful comes to his mind. Once again, like so many times during the past few days, he falls short.

With an annoyed huff, he tries to sort his thoughts out again, from the start. What suggests that Kid is a hunter and what doesn't? He's a bit surprised to find that other than the whole issue with the sleeping gas, nothing implies that the thief is really as bad as Heiji thinks. His skills, sneaking in and out of places, his flexibility and agility – necessary for a hunter, but also for a normal thief. There are multiple things that go against his theory: the fact that he usually stays around the capital and has his favourites he frequently returns to – he'd be able to cover very little ground like this as a hunter. And then there's his supposed personality, the gentle thief who goes out of his way to save people…! It clashes with the image of ruthless killers, the way Heiji sees hunters. The more he thinks about it, the more uncomfortable he feels with comparing Kid to them.

And even like this, he knows nothing at all. He can almost hear Kid laughing at him as he slips out of his grasp with ease.

That night, he dreams again. Kid stands before him, slowly turning into smoke, as he stares at Heiji with the same eyes he has.

* * *

The next morning he wakes up to his phone chirping at him obnoxiously from his bedside table. With a few hellish groans, he gets his blanket out of his face, but when he sunlight seems to unforgiving for his eyes, he decides to just reach around blindly for it. After a few clumsy hits on the table, he hears his clock land on the floor with a painful crash. A little more, and he finds what he's looking for. He peels his eyes open with enormous effort just enough to squint at the too bright screen, but his vision is too blurry to read who's calling him. He barely manages a sleepy "hello" before someone who's way too enthusiastic about the morning starts speaking.

"Hattori, have you heard the news?"

Ah. It's Kudou. And he sounds oddly cheerful. In fact, Heiji can clearly hear the smirk in his voice.

"Nnno, I've heard no news today…" he mumbles as he holds back a yawn. He wonders what time it might be.

"Oh, and here I thought you'd care more about your revenge!" His friend laughs at him as Heiji narrows his eyes.

"What. Are you talking about." He's suspicious – of what, he's not sure, but he's definitely suspicious.

"There'll be a heist this weekend."

He shoots up in his bed, staring at his unsuspecting phone in disbelief. This soon?

"Really?" he croaks out, and for whatever reason, it must amuse Kudou, because he starts laughing once again.

"Yeah. Aren't you lucky?"

"Sure I am…" This is not exactly what he planned for the morning, but… "When will it be?"

"Tomorrow evening. So? Do you want to come?" It's phrased as a question, but Heiji knows that it's more like an exclamation, like Kudou saying "you can decline but then I'll laugh at you forever!" And that's something he definitely wants to avoid.

"Of course."

When the call ends, he's quick to jump out of bed and start packing his things, full of fire and nervous energy. Kid's ghostly figure appears in his mind once again, but this time he just grins. "Just you wait, you clown," he drawls. "Just you wait."


	3. Face to face

**_Happy New Years everyone!_** _Hopefully in 2017, I'll be able to write a lot more and a lot faster :D_

 _An enormous thank you to **Hebiaczek** , who supported me throughout the year and helped me to sort out the problems with this story._

 _And of course, I owe all of you a huuuuuge thank you as well. Your reviews cheered me up and made me laugh, and I'm really grateful for that._

 _Please enjoy~_

* * *

Once again, Heiji feels like he's been thrown into a bee's nest. He supposes that it looks like chaos only to him, that the people here know their place, but he's never really sure. They run and bounce around, constantly making noise: orders being shouted, confirmations being shouted back, questions and excited chatter going back and forth among them. There's not a single calm spot, a quiet corner, everything is just buzzing. Heiji chooses to endure it, staying by Kudou's side, rather than wandering around. They exchange little grins from time to time, as they watch the police make all the preparations, though every single time he feels his cheeks sting from the pinches he got when they entered the museum.

"You'd better get used to those, if you want to keep coming to heists," Kudou says as he rubs his own sore cheeks. "The inspector thinks he can stop Kid from sneaking in with a disguise if he keeps checking for face masks this way."

Heiji squints at him. "You don't think he can."

"Not really." Kudou huffs. "But it's not like I could make him stop."

Well, there are several things he has to get used to now. The feelings he got when he arrived at Tokyo, not just unease but determination in his heart. His friend, not claimed back by his depression fully, meeting him at the station with a soft smile that seemed genuine. He even wondered if it wouldn't be nice to visit more often – to see his only friend who so obviously needed help. He chased away that thought as quickly as he could. Getting even more attached wouldn't do him any good.

He sighs. What will he do during the heist if he lets his mind go free like that without focus? Be a nuisance, that's what.

" _Don't be a nuisance, Heiji._ " He recalls an old voice. " _Make yourself useful._ " By now, it's distorted and he can only remember the sharp tone, yet it makes his chest hurt, and he unconsciously curls his fingers into fists. But it lets him focus, instead of pulling him back into stupid memories and useless nostalgia.

Oonuma Haruko's Medieval Gallery is a place that invites theatricality, that much he can tell instantly. The tall, yet still surprisingly small building is, like its name suggests, like a treasure chest of everything medieval. Paintings, sculptures, furniture, armour and weapons, miraculously preserved dresses, and yes, jewellery. But perhaps, rather than a treasure chest, a toy box would be a better comparison, as it's evident that the owner of the collection just went and bought everything she liked during her visits all across the world, then put them in one building, like a child would gather their own little treasures they found during a trip. But either way, though it's a bit messily arranged, the collection is beautiful to look at.

But now, rather than letting himself get lost in admiration, he inspects the large hall with a critical eye, looking for potential blind spots, places to hide. There are a lot of convenient corners, as the interior of the museum resembles an ancient castle more than anything else – a harsh contrast with the previous heist's location. Golden ornaments, thick carpets, wasteful beauty and the dark air of medieval fairy tales, shattered by the harsh lights of reflectors from the Task Force.

And in the midst of it all, a pure black mannequin stands in a glass cube, wearing a dark red and golden dress and a necklace of shining rubies, like a ghost of ancient times. "Lady Scarlet," they call it, both the dress and the necklace. Only one should interest Kid, but the thief saw how wrong it would be to separate the two, so he promised to steal both.

"Show off," he grumbles under his nose.

Heiji hears Nakamori before he sees him, the man barking orders loudly as usual. He appears in the hall soon enough, though, and his lips are set in a grim line. With a slightly quieter voice, he talks to someone next to him, occasionally pointing at a little window or a half-hidden door. He pays them no mind until the other person takes a step forward. Because then he has to take a double take and quickly turn to see if Kudou is still with him, because… _Wow, they could be twins._ He even elbows his friend in the side, as he points at the new guy with his chin.

"Look at that dude! He looks just like you! I wonder who that is."

Kudou narrows his eyes, then smirks as he mutters: "Maybe I should make a list of people running around with my face…" Heiji gives him a questioning look, but he doesn't elaborate, just clears his throat. "He's… his name is Kuroba Kaito, and he's acquaintance of Nakamori-keibu. The inspector sometimes asks him to help him, to let him see the scene from a magician's viewpoint." After a dry laugh, he adds: "He's also a fan of Kid."

"A fan? Heh, so like rest of the Task Force." He grins, but he freezes from the angry shushing and even angrier looks he gets from some of the members. One of them quickly jabs a finger towards Nakamori before he pretends to do something entirely different. One of them, though, standing in the corner and most likely feeling suicidal, grins back at Heiji with two thumbs up.

Meanwhile, Kudou tries to stifle a laugh. "Well… The people here at least try to do their job, while-" They both jump as they hear someone yelp after getting stuck in a trap. "They really do try. Kuroba-kun here, he's a real fan."

"But what about the inspector? Doesn't he care?"

Kudou shrugs. "Apparently Nakamori-keibu has known him ever since he was little, so he probably goes easy on him."

"Huh…" Heiji watches him for a moment, as he's in the middle of explaining something excitedly to the inspector, wildly pointing at a door on the far right. "I'm gonna talk to him."

"To Kuroba-kun?"

"Yeah. You know. Ask him what he thinks about the place. He must know things if he's helping the inspector."

Kudou smirks at him. "Alright then. Go and chat with him. Knock yourself out."

So Heiji does just that. As soon as Nakamori strides off to probably shout at some more people, he walks up to the other. It's not too hard, as he still loiters around the hall, looking at the golden ornaments of the ceiling.

"Hey," he calls out casually. The guy should be around his "official age" after all, so he probably shouldn't act too formal. That's what he thinks at first, at least. Then again, maybe he should be more respectful… But before he'd get a chance to dwell on it more, Kuroba turns around.

"Hey." Up close, he looks even more similar to Kudou, and Heiji has to consciously look for the differences between the two of them to find them: Kuroba's messy hair is the most obvious, before he notices the slightly softer eyes and cheeks and fuller mouth. "Can I help you with something?" Right. He's been staring for a bit too long.

"Oh, I was just wondering what you think about the traps they've set up." He thinks he should be careful with a fan – just asking how to catch Kid could be a bad start. But, he also figures that since he's already helping, he might as well ask him about the preparations of the place. Not too off-topic, and hopefully not too risky. When Kuroba gives him a cool, considering look, he wonders if he made a mistake, but then the other smiles at him. It's not a particularly warm smile, just something that's there for the sake of it. Still, Heiji supposes it's a good start.

"The owners have turned this museum into a real fortress, I can tell you that much. Those grids at every window add to the atmosphere too." He pauses, gives Heiji one of those considering looks again. "I don't think I've seen you at heists before. Are you a detective too, um… Sorry, I didn't catch your name."

"Yeah. I'm Hattori Heiji. I'm not too active here in Tokyo, but you're right, I am a detective." He doesn't miss the way Kuroba's eyes widen a little when he tells him his name. It's like he's been recognized.

"Kuroba Kaito." Then, with sudden enthusiasm, he continues: "So that's why you seemed familiar! I've heard about you and your cases before. Like that one with the stolen rubies – that's the one that got you famous, right? Are you interested in jewel thieves?"

"N-no… The culprit just happened to be a jewel thief, too."

"Oh. I thought that because you came to a Kid heist, too. But if it's not that… did your friend bring you here?" he asks as he glances over Heiji's shoulder.

"Yes, actually. I blame him for everything."

"Come on, don't say that. You're supposed to have fun at a Kid heist!" He spreads his arms out wide, gesturing at the entirety of the hall, full of nervous police officers and traps everywhere, reflectors casting a harsh light on the large display of wealth, while pushing the corners into even darker shadows… Not the kind of place Heiji would associate with fun. But the expression on Kuroba's face almost makes him believe it, see the potential for endless joy and excitement this crazed fan must see as well.

"I guess…" he shrugs, still feeling a bit uncertain.

"Oh, I get it!" He spares one more glance at the unsuspecting Kudou behind them, before he grins at Heiji. He looks downright mischievous, and takes a step closer to him and lowers his voice like he's telling him a secret. "You're trying to see who can catch Kid first. You're rivals after all!"

Heiji blinks. It's not like he doesn't know that people see him and Kudou as rivals at times, but considering how rarely he actually sees his friend, and how little he pays attention to catty magazines, he doesn't get reminders too often. But… he has to admit, it's nice. It's nice that sometimes it can be that simple, when he's just Hattori Heiji, detective, and Kudou Shinichi's rival. And since for the public, he's only in his mid-twenties, he forgives them for thinking that there's any kind of rivalry between the two of them when it should be obvious who's better. _But when it comes to individuals…_

"I mean… I let him have his fun, think he still has a chance now that he brought me here." _...it can't hurt to correct them._

"So he doesn't?" Kuroba smirks at him, and for the first time, he looks downright amused with Heiji.

"Of course not!"

"Well, it's nice that you're so confident~"

Heiji narrows his eyes at him. "You don't think I can catch him."

"No, I don't!" He laughs. "I believe in Kid-sama too much for that."

"Heh… I should've seen that coming."

"So why don't you try to prove me wrong then?" He doesn't know why, but the look Kuroba gives him feels unsettling. It's barely different from the ones he got before, a stretch of lips that offers no comfort and glint of eyes that holds no warmth, but this time, he feels something lurking beneath it. "Oh well. I'll be off then. I want to find a bathroom before looking for a good viewing spot. Good luck, detective."

"Thanks." Heiji stands there for just a moment more, a little dumbfounded by the vibes he got from his friend's doppelganger, then returns to Kudou, who is… giving him an awfully smug smirk.

"So? Did you get your answers?"

"Of course I di- …shit." And then Kudou has the nerve to laugh at him. Not even a little giggle, oh no. All out cackling. Heiji swears the glass windows are shaking from it. "Shut up!"

Kudou, however, does not shut up. In fact, he keeps on laughing until his eyes tear up, and it takes him some time to get back to normal. Heiji can't say he isn't surprised by his outburst, but really, really deep inside, he doesn't mind. On the outside, though, he's showing none of that – he can't have Kudou getting used to him being so forgiving when he's being made fun of.

"Well, don't feel too bad about it," Kudou says after his stifles the last of his giggles. "The same thing happened to me too."

"What do you mean, the same thing?"

"I was trying to ask Kuroba-kun some questions, but I didn't get any answers."

"How come?"

Kudou pauses and presses his lips together for a moment before he answers. "Let's just say he's always more interested in talking about you than answering anything."

"So he's like… a secretive type? Didn't seem like it." He scratches his neck. "Is he… worried that if he tells us what he knows, he won't be needed on heists anymore? I imagine a fan would want to stick around for as long as he can."

"Well… that's one way to put it, I guess."

They settle into silence after that. The Task Force keeps fluttering around them, so much that Heiji feels restless just from looking at them. It's not like he's forgotten what he promised himself, that he'd stay by Kudou's side this time… But doing nothing like this is maddening. "You know what? I'm going after him."

"Huh? Hattori, there's no need-"

"Relax, I'll be back by the time it starts."

Kudou tries to say more, but he's already heading towards the restrooms. He has enough time to chat, and it's not like he'd get lost anyway, thanks to all the guards standing by the walls.

That, and he might be just a little annoyed that he'd gotten ditched so easily.

* * *

There are times when Heiji isn't controlled by his random ideas, he swears there are. This wasn't one of them, though. He sighs to himself, as he rests his back against the wall next to the restrooms. He realizes, though he's pretty late with it, that there was absolutely no need to run after Kuroba like that. Whatever the guy could say, he could tell Heiji at the next heist - if he ever went to one, or if there ever was one, his mind adds.

He couldn't have been there for more than a minute, but the more he waits there, the more he gets that suspicion that Kuroba could've already left, not wanting to go through the main hall again so he chose one of the many alternative routes that run through the museum. And Heiji wouldn't know any better. Dammit.

When he bumps his head against the wall for seemingly hundredth time, a patrolling guard finally takes pity on him.

"Are you alright, boy?" It's that cop from the last heist, the one who tried to wake him up, Heiji notes absently.

"Yeah, I'm just… waiting for someone."

"There's no one in there, though. I'm patrolling only on this corridor, so I'd know." He has that same apologetic look again, and he gives Heiji a sympathetic smile.

"Are you sure? There wasn't anyone…?"

"Well… Kuroba-kun was in there, but he left already. Shinoda-san, ah, my colleague, he escorted him out just a while ago." At that, Heiji bumps the back of his head against the wall again.

"Just as I thought… Thanks, man." _What a total waste of time,_ he thinks to himself. He already knows how much he doesn't look forward to Kudou making fun of him, as he turns towards the exhibition hall.

And then he stops. He hears the sound of footsteps from the stairway just next to him. So light and quiet he barely misses it, and yet… There's an odd feeling he gets that he can't shake off.

"Say, is anyone supposed to walk around there?" he asks the cop, as he points towards the stairs.

"Uh…" he scratches his neck. "I don't… think so?"

Heiji feels his eye twitch. "'Don't think so?' We're gonna check it out then, come on!"

"H-hey, wait up!" the guy yelps from behind him, and dashes after him.

Heiji is a little proud of himself at first. If he let himself to be controlled only by his instincts again, he would've followed the noise on his own. Now at least he has someone by his side. Maybe it would be safer to go with more people, he thinks. But maybe not. Maybe all he could achieve with herding so many guards together is that Kid could slip between them and then knock all of them out at once. He doesn't know. Of course, that's to be expected, this is only the second heist he's been at, but the uncertainty makes his chest tighten, and his claws would peak at the ends of his fingers if only he let them.

His companion sticks close to him, almost clinging to him, checking left and right. For what, Heiji's not sure, and he doesn't really want to know, either. Now that he patted himself on the shoulder for his rationality, he's only focused on the footsteps ahead of him, heading down the stairway.

"Now I'm sure. No one's supposed to be here!" the guard says. "There are only stationary guards on this level, at the ends of the hallways and at the main doors! But then who's…"

That uncomfortable feeling in Heiji's gut gets just a little stronger. He doesn't want to make sudden assumptions that can lead to mistakes, he wants to consider other things, and yet. And yet. There's a chance that the person he's there for, the reason he's bothering with heists and reports and silly guards is right ahead of him. And he can't help it, it makes him excited as hell.

"Hey, what are you two doing?"

A guard standing by a large glass door yells from behind them. His expression promises nothing good – he's there to put those suspicious figures to their place. He's followed by another person, probably the one he was watching the place with, and he looks just as stern, if not more so. Heiji's companion already starts stuttering out some kind of explanation (while still trying to hide behind him), but Heiji's attention is elsewhere. The footsteps… they're faster… they're running!

Earlier, he didn't want to be rash, he really didn't. He didn't want to admit it, let alone say it out loud, even though it was already on the tip of his tongue, but now, now as he's following that sound down the stairs, he's certain. What reason would anyone have to run from the voices of guards if they weren't Kid?

But that's fine. Even over the loud huffs of the three guards behind him, he can hear the thief, and he's determined not to let him escape. He can just see him, a dark shape of a person, sometimes grazing the railing. Heiji is slowly but surely catching up to him, though, and as he does, he feels the grin spreading on his face. He made a fool of himself last time, but now, now he'll catch the guy!

They're barely a floor apart when Heiji hears a large door being thrown open then slammed shut, and the thief is gone. He growls to himself, and with a quick jump, he's over the railing, falling down. He's lucky they're almost at the ground floor, or else it would be suspicious that he got away with that stunt unharmed. But now he barely thinks about that, he just lets a slight puff of air ease his fall, one so small that a normal human wouldn't even notice anything.

The door is right in front of him. He pauses for a moment, before he wrenches it open, and…

…steps outside?

Heiji blinks. Yes, it seems that the door led him to a small alley, right next to the museum, but… The thief is nowhere in sight. It's not that he's hiding in some dark corner, that wouldn't work on Heiji, he just disappeared.

"What the…"

Meanwhile, the rest of the guards catch up to him, and he hears the large iron door slamming shut yet again. They take a bit longer to catch their breath, but then one of them, the angriest looking, grabs Heiji's shoulder to make him face them again.

"Where is he?"

"He got away," he spits out, trying to control the anger that replaces his confusion. He brushes the guy's hand off his shoulder, though, and looks around the alley. His excitement already slipped away, and now he only has frustration that tries to choke him. He was so, so damn close! And now? Now he's checking behind dirty trashcans. Wonderful.

* * *

Eventually, the others immersed themselves in the search too, checking every place that could be a hiding spot. One of them even checked the wall, to see if it was hollow somewhere. Heiji found odd, but he supposed that the members of the Task Force are probably always expecting weird, unexpected things to happen.

He loses his track of time just a little, only to be brought back by a quiet gasp.

"Uh oh…" He hears the voice of his meek companion. And he really doesn't like his worried tone…

"What is it, Tomoda?" one of the guards rasps.

"This door… it doesn't look like it can be opened from the outside…"

"What?" Heiji whirls around with a snarl and stomps over to the door. Tomoda (now that he knows his name) steps away from the door with an awkward smile that fades away quickly, while the other two join them.

It's just as Tomoda said. The door from their side resembles an iron wall now, with no doorknobs, no holes, no gaps, no nothing. There's no way they could open it… Not even Heiji, since he can't use his powers in front of people. He feels furious, like he could summon lightning and thunder – he already feels the scales prickling on his back.

"Dammit!" he cries and punches the wall before he can stop himself. Tomoda flinches away, and even the other two stiffen a bit. "How do we get back then?"

"Well, the main entrance…" starts Tomoda.

"The main entrance is out of question. The crowd is probably still there, we wouldn't make it through in time," says one of the guards, and he glances at his watch. "Damn. The heist already started, too." At that, Tomoda looks downright crestfallen – Heiji swears he can see tears gathering in his eyes.

"Shit…" He looks around for any kind of solution, desperate not to fail again. And then he sees it. A metal stairway for the fire exits, leading right up to the roof. His frown melts into a wide grin, and he elbows one of his companions in the side. "Why don't we use that, then?"

"That's right, the stairs!" Tomoda exclaims, suddenly looking bright and cheerful again. "We can reach the roof and-"

"And we catch that clown!" It's probably his determination and Tomoda's excitement that wins the other two over, as they nod to each other and follow them upwards.

As they climb, they can hear shouts from the building, mostly from the desperate Task Force. They can't see anything, as the windows on that side of the building are tiny and also darkened, but they can all rely on their imagination at least. See the others falling into traps when they yelp, see someone thinking they caught Kid when a triumphant "Haha!" echoes from inside, only to be followed by a shrill cry. The higher they get, the quieter the noise from the building is, but it just fills them with more anticipation.

When they're almost at the top, Heiji feels Tomoda poking his back. He knows why – he noticed it a little earlier: the soft, but calm, deliberate steps from above.

"Are they serious…?"

At the sound of that annoyed growl, Tomoda grips the back of his shirt tighter, and the other two stiffen behind them as well. And he'd be a fool not to know why. He might not be that familiar with Kid's voice, but he knows without doubt who's waiting on the roof now. Just a few steps more and…

"You think you can run away just like that?"

Heiji blinks. It's Kudou.

"It's not like I won't be back again. I might as well let you guys off early. And that said-"

"Stop right there!" A moment later Heiji realizes that it's his own voice now. He's standing on the top of the stairs now. The others are climbing behind him too, forming a half circle and slowly inching closer to Kid. He doesn't look too bothered by it, though – in fact, he seems amused, wearing a cocky smirk.

"Oh, I love surprises!" he exclaims. His delight is painfully fake, but something tells Heiji that the thief knows it, and that it's perfectly intentional. And it just pisses him off more. A growl slips past his lips before he stops himself. "I look forward to seeing more from you tomorrow~" With that, he steps on the ledge, ready to jump off, only stopping to give them one more confident look before he leaves.

But Heiji would be an idiot if he let him go like that. _After all..._

As he flexes his fingers, he feels the tickle of the breeze on his skin.

… _he's stronger than any of them right now._

He can already feel the back of his neck prickle from his scales. But this time, all he needs is a little gust of air, pushing Kid back on the roof so he couldn't flee from them. He doesn't care if he's cheating, if he's being unfair. He loves playing detective, but first and foremost, he's a dragon. That's why he's here, that's why he's chasing Kid in the first place.

When the wind comes, it's enough to make the guards stumble. Kid loses his balance too, for a moment, except he seems to be… ascending?

… _what the hell?_

It only lasts for a moment, before Kid falls back down, off the roof and away from them. Heiji can't see his face – he wonders if the thief is as confused as he is. When he spots that white triangle on the sky, he doesn't even have it himself to be angry.

Did he really miss? Did he mess up? He thought he was pretty good at this, but…

Tomoda is leaning off the ledge, watching Kid with childlike wonder in his eyes and a wide grin. The other two guards have a shadow of a smile on their lips too, even when they're doing their best to hide it under stern frowns.

"What the hell was that wind?" Kudou asks, trying to adjust his hair before he gives up on it.

"I don't know… but wasn't it amazing? Kid looked like he was floating for a moment!" Tomoda exclaims happily.

"He sure did…" Heiji mumbles. He should've needed only one try to push Kid in the right direction, and he should've managed that without fail. He thought he could, and yet… He missed. And he knew he couldn't try again, not until the next heist. Even with one blow, the others had noticed that something was off, even if they passed it off as Kid just being great. But if Heiji kept it up…

Why is he failing all the time when it comes to Kid?

"By the way," Tomoda speaks up again, "why did he say 'tomorrow?'"

"Oh right, you guys don't know it yet." Kudou sighs and shakes his head, before he continues. "There'll be a heist tomorrow, too." Tomoda gasps, and his smile grows even wider, in a sharp contrast with the other two, who are now frowning in earnest.

"Why?" one of them asks.

A grimace. "The necklace was a fake."

"WHAT?"

"I know…" Kudou sighs again. "I know, guys."

"Not even Suzuki does that anymore!" the two cry out. "Kid's gonna be insufferable tomorrow!" As Heiji watched them getting closer and closer to getting a stroke, he recalled the reports he read.

Indeed, some of the events organized by the Suzukis that were somehow aimed at Kid used the same trick: presenting a pair or collection of treasures and then forcing Kid to return to them twice when part of his target turned out to be a fake. But he also recalled that these things happened less and less often, until they just stopped doing it completely. The reason was Kid's retaliation, which grew worse each time they tried to trick him. And, though there were some others who did the same, it never ended well. Heiji even remembered the slight wince on Yuzu-san's face when he told him about those cases.

"Also," Kudou's voice broke him out of his musings, "you guys are in trouble."

"Eh? Trouble? Why?" Tomoda blinked at him with a completely innocent expression.

"You left your post, didn't report to the inspector… Coincidentally, Kid passed through the very same corridor you were supposed to be guarding."

"No way!"

"Hold on, why be so rough on them? They were trying to catch Kid!" Heiji cries out, making the guards jump. "They did their best!"

Kudou sighs again. "Hattori. It's not just them. _All of you_ are in trouble."

"What the hell?"

"You just ran off, you know. We had no idea where you were, and apparently it wasn't because Kid got rid of you early." Heiji would shout at him to stop scolding him, if not for the small, sympathetic smile his friend gives him. But even that is just barely enough.

He's definitely getting angry.

* * *

The scolding they get is worse than what Heiji expected. The other three stand next to him with his heads bowed, acting like they've been scalded by hot water. Even he has a hard time meeting Nakamori's gaze as he's shouting.

What was he thinking, the man asks, and the retort is already on his tongue, but he's too tired to say it. _I was thinking about helping. I was thinking about making myself useful._ It's only a half lie, just like how he's half detective. The other half he couldn't talk about, even if he wanted to.

Eventually, he stops seeing Nakamori, as he's replaced by a shadow from his past, looking at him with stern eyes. The words he hears from the inspector fit, and with that new image, when he raises his voice even more, Heiji finally does flinch. He feels weak all of sudden. He knows it's not because of the man in front of him, not the fragile human he could break in two, but that doesn't help him. He's caught up in that nauseating feeling he gets when he recalls some old memory, so much so that he doesn't move an inch even when they're dismissed.

He only looks up again when he feels a hand on his shoulder. Kudou is standing behind him – he could've been watching the whole thing from the sidelines. Heiji hopes he didn't anyway.

"Well, you know. If you come to heists, you're pretty much signed up for being shouted at once at least. To me, it happened so many times I've lost count."

He snorts. "Gee, why am I not surprised."

"Jerk. I was trying to comfort you."

"Well, you suck at it." He pokes Kudou's side. "Besides, why would I need you to comfort me?" Then, for good measure, he ruffles his friend's hair too, who just squawks and tries to push him away. By the end of it, they're both grinning, though. "So? What did I miss?"

"Besides the entire heist?"

"Shut up. So?"

"You just told me to shut up."

"Dammit, Kudou, must you be such a dick all the time?" The bastard has the nerve to laugh at him.

"He came from above, from one of the upper windows. He took the dress with him, but left the fake necklace behind. That, and a message, saying he'll be back tomorrow, at the same time as today. He wrote, 'Some people don't realize when a joke gets old.' I hate to say this, but I agree with him."

"He really hates these fake baits, huh?"

"Yeah. He wasn't always like this, but I guess he got tired of them. Also, the way we found his note was ridiculous. There was this dramatic roll of thunder right when we saw it."

"Wow. Theatrical."

"I know, right? Pretty fitting for Kid." He doesn't know Kid that well, but Heiji realizes he has to agree. "Do you want to come tomorrow too?"

"Of course. If I didn't, it'd look like I'm running away." _And that's obviously not an option._

By the time they get back to Kudou's place, his anger is mostly gone. He's only exhausted, and he can't wait to finally get some sleep.

* * *

 _His heart is soaring, and a happy grin stretches his lips so much it almost hurts. It's been long since he felt this proud, holding out the white pearl on his tiny palm for his mother to see._

 _She just sits there, mirroring his expression with a small, good natured smile of her own. If not for that glint of joy in her eyes, she would look like a living porcelain doll. Her delicate hands hold his, rather than the pearl._

" _You've done well, Heiji," she says. He wants his father, who's a dark shadow over his shoulder, to say it too, but he only hums, before he sits down by the table too, and starts reading something._

 _His hearts clenches, but he ignores it. Of course. Summoning the pearl is something every dragon should be able to do, it's nothing impressive. Suddenly, he's not so proud of himself anymore, and feels foolish for making such a big ordeal out of it, shouting through the thin paper walls even before he reached his parents._

 _He'd curl his fingers and pull away, but his mother stops him, reaching out and taking the pearl from him. She's careful, as if she's holding a little bird. Her eyes flash for just a moment, glowing bright purple, before they fade back to their original colour, and the pearl starts to change shape._

"… _what are you… s-stop…"_

 _He feels his heart beating in his throat now. He wants to shout, to tell his mother to stop, but his voice is weak, and a shiver runs through his whole body. He knows she would never hurt him, he knows and desperately wants to keep that in mind, but the fear that has him in its grip is too strong. The rush of blood in his ears pushes away all other sounds, and his lungs are screaming at him to breath, but he can't, he can't-_

" _Heiji."_

 _His father's voice brings him back to awareness, and the dark look he gets from the man makes him realize how foolish he is again. Of course._

 _His mother holds his hand again with her left. In her right palm, a purple stone sits, that shines gently in the soft afternoon light. Heiji doesn't know why, but it fills him with a strange calm, and his mind is at ease again._

" _A pearl," his mother starts as she squeezes his hand a bit, "reflects the heart of the person you give it to. It shows you their greatest strength and their biggest fears. It lets you see their feelings and their thoughts." Then, she nods at him, as if to encourage him._

 _Hesitantly, he lets his hand hover over the stone. That calm feeling he got earlier only gets stronger, and even though his mother is still sitting on the other side of the table, smiling up at him, it's as if she's embracing him, holding him close._

" _See?" she asks. Heiji nods, and though he still feels a little odd, his lips curl up anyway. It doesn't last very long, though, as he thinks of something. He gulps._

" _Dad? Could you…?"_

 _His father looks up from his book again, watches him for a moment, then takes the stone in his own hands. Heiji waits as he holds his breath, waits for seemingly an eternity… but nothing happens._

" _Once it's out of your hands, it only changes once." Heiji blinks at him. His confusion must be obvious, because his father sighs and continues. "Your pearl holds your powers in it. Would you want it to waste them just to change for every person who gets their hands on it?" Heiji shakes his head. "That's right."_

" _You must remember, Heiji," his mother speaks up. "If you ever give it to someone, you have to watch carefully what your pearl turns into. Not everyone will want to give it back, and you might lose it if you don't know its shape. You need to be careful with your pearl. Alright?" He nods._

 _His father hands him the stone, but just as he'd take it from his hands, he drops it. It turns back into a pearl, and it rolls away from the table._

 _With a yelp, he runs after it, while the voice of his parents fade away. The world around him turns black, and he's only guided by the soft white gleam of his pearl, while it's seemingly running away from him. But his legs are too short and he's too slow to catch up for some reason. Even when he reaches out and his claws stretch towards it, it's not enough. He only stops when a pair of white shoes enter his vision and he almost bumps into the person in front of him._

 _He looks up with a gasp._

 _Kaitou Kid is towering above him, and he looks down at Heiji, as his pupils are narrowed into tiny black slits. He holds the pearl in his hands, and it shifts behind his curled fingers._

* * *

It's already bright outside when he wakes up. The rain is softly knocking on the windows, and even from the bed, Heiji can see the grey clouds that settle over the city like a fluffy blanket. It reminds him of the days when he was much, much younger and every time the sky was cloudy, he just wanted to fly and break through to see the Sun again and bask in the light.

Now he's not that eager to fly. Sure, the thought awakens a slight giddiness in him, letting him imagine how nice it would be, and if he lingers on these feelings a little, he could notice the slight prickle of his scales underneath his skin. But even so, he finds that he's content just resting like this in bed. It's not that he feels sleepy or tired, perhaps he's not even as shaken as he should be – after all, memories of his childhood still manage to upset him every now and then, and Kid once again invaded his dream like he has any right to do so. Yes, by all means, he should be shaken right now, and yet… There's nothing. No strong feelings aimed at what happened and what he saw, only at what _will_ happen and what he _will_ see. He's expecting the storm that will follow the quiet rain.

Maybe he would stay in bed all day, and maybe he wouldn't even mind it at all, but then, as he hears the sounds from outside the room, the quiet buzz of the TV and the coffee maker, and the soft footsteps in the middle of it, something urges him to move, and so he does. He fishes some clothes out of his bag, and with those under his arms, he steps out and marches over to the bathroom. He meets Kudou on his way, and as they say "good morning!" to each other, he can see that his friend clearly didn't have enough coffee yet, with the way he's squinting and nearly bumps into a wall like some bug that wandered into the house.

It's not like really has to pretend that he's a normal, functioning human, not when Kudou is doing an even worse job at it than him, but he knows the dangers of letting himself go. And even if Kudou knew (which is impossible, of course), it at least gives him a sense of accomplishment. Something he needs badly between two heists.

He sighs. He might enjoy the chase and the thrill, but he's not like Kudou, who grew up on murder mysteries, and hates violence yet loves solving every single puzzle left behind by a criminal. He grew up on the stories of his kind, the tales of journeys and adventure, and those are so much closer to his heart. And then there's Kid, who's like an uncomfortable mix between the two. The more Heiji thinks about it, the more he wishes he never found out about the thief.

Now that he knows, he can't unlearn it anymore, and he can't back out either, all because of a sense of obligation towards his kind. His kind that might not even exist anymore. He only wants to know that it's worth it, is that too much to ask? But there's no sign from the heavens, guiding him or answering his question, and so, he has no choice but to carry on.

But because he spent so much time already with beating down that side of him that questions all the mess he has to deal with, the kind that feels almost rightfully hurt because of how he had and has to live, by the time he leaves the bathroom, he already made peace with it again, if only temporarily.

"We should go out for breakfast," Kudou calls from the living room, and he grunts something back that's supposed to be an answer.

No choice but to carry on.

* * *

Perhaps it was wrong of Heiji to expect that the atmosphere would be the same before every heist. To wait for that nervous, but excited energy. What he got instead was the choking anticipation, the kind that sends the mind into frenzy but paralyzes the body.

The exhibition hall only enhances that feeling, as the dark walls loom over them and people of old times look down on them from gloomy paintings. The chandelier hangs from the high ceiling that's covered in smoky gold, and in the midst of it all stands the black mannequin behind its glass cage, wearing nothing more than a half of Lady Red, the necklace of rubies.

But it's not just that one hall, Heiji realizes. The entire museum gives off an odd, claustrophobic atmosphere, as all the exhibitions are locked down now, in hopes of preventing Kid from passing through them. Even the museum's rather modest collection of other jewellery is separated from Lady Red, locked and guarded. Perhaps this all doesn't accomplish much, other than limiting Kid's options a little, but because they're now all preparing for the worst, they take every bit of help they can get.

And then there are the guards. They're acting like toy soldiers now – they move with a purpose, a goal, a task, but their movements are broken. It's understandable, of course. For all their love for Kid, he's tiring when they have to face him twice in a row, and judging by the expressions of the guards, they didn't get much sleep. In that sleepy haze, they prepare traps, fiddle with the emergency lights they have for blackouts, double check every corner, window, door, and wall, then report everything they find to the inspector. The man himself is busy with talking to the owner, a pale old woman so unremarkable that Heiji didn't even realize who she was the first time. The looks of disdain she gets from almost everyone she passes by makes her flinch constantly, but he can't really bring himself to feel sorry for her, not when all the mess was caused by her. No doubt, that's how the entire Task Force feels too, except they are more or less angrier than him.

If this was his first introduction to heists, he wouldn't have believed Kuroba Kaito, telling him he's supposed to have fun. No sign of him, by the way. Heiji isn't particularly disappointed that he's gone – the only reason he cares at all is because he still might want to ask him a few questions after all. But at least he would be some kind of distraction.

Because he can't stand still, and he can't deal with this tense air around him without doing something. But that's the thing, he can't do anything. Not only he promised himself that he really wouldn't stray away this time, both the inspector and Kudou are keeping an eye on him. They have different reasons for doing so – the inspector wanting to keep everything and everyone under control, and Kudou just trying to keep his friend out of trouble, but… it annoys him to no end. He never liked being watched so closely, but when it's all paired with his urge to just _move,_ he feels like he's going to go insane soon.

"Five minutes left, everyone back to your position!" Nakamori shouts. There's a shriek coming from the corridor that distinctly sounds like Tomoda's, no doubt because of the scolding he got last time, but Heiji pays no mind to that.

"Thank god," he mumbles, and sighs.

"Restless?" Kudou asks.

"Yeah, a little."

"A little? Come on, you're practically buzzing."

"Okay, maybe a lot, then." Kudou laughs at him, but for once, Heiji doesn't feel like reprimanding him for it. Not when he sounds so choked up too.

"That's what I thought. You can… get used to this, eventually. Though, it's been a while since everyone was this tense. Probably because no one's dumb enough lately to play this trick on Kid."

"So yesterday they weren't exaggerating, huh."

"Nope." He scratches his cheek as he watches the guards doing their work. "The thing is, Kid is insufferable by default. Everyone here knows it. If they go and point it out like that anyway, you can definitely expect him to be even worse."

He guesses that Kudou is trying to calm him down or help controlling his excitement, at least until his own emotions take over. But frankly, he only achieves the opposite. Heiji is stepping from one foot to another, stretching his fingers out before clenching them into fists, then stretching them again, all while watching some of the guards doing the same. He feels the way his body is trying to shift, human features wanting to give way to those of a dragon – if he weren't already used to anticipation like this before chasing someone, he'd probably lose control.

Heiji is almost grateful that the maddening wait is over, when the lights go out all of sudden. The guards scramble to turn on the lights again, their panic getting more and more apparent when their special reflectors don't seem to work, but he himself is overcome with a sense of stillness.

And then, a small glow, that coats the now entirely dark hall in an eerie orange, makes them all freeze. The mannequin, wearing the real necklace, is on fire.

It doesn't take long for the flames to consume the dark figure entirely, and to lick at the glass case before it shatters. As if a beast has been freed from its cage, the fire flares up even higher, almost grazing the giant chandelier above. It reaches across the floor too, reaching out for some of the guards. They all jump back, but even so, Heiji is surprised that no one actually got burned. Yet here they are, unscathed, watching the mannequin in some horrified awe.

He can't shake the feeling that there's something weird about this fire, though. Other than the fact that it all happened out of nowhere, of course. But just when he'd take a step closer, it all seems to collapse in on itself, and the flames that were so tall earlier would barely reach his knees now. But Heiji can't spare any attention to those anymore, because in the middle of all the mess, broken glass and dancing flames, stands Kaitou Kid.

It's no surprise that his appearance shows nothing of the fire that enveloped him just a minute ago. He looks pristine as ever, though he's coated in a soft orange glow now.

With a sway of his cape, he steps out of the now wrecked glass case, paying no mind to the shards cracking under his feet. New flames spring forth from his soles with every step, each one taller than the last. Even so, Kid acts like this is all normal to him, as he holds the necklace above his head, inspecting that instead. He doesn't look like he's in a hurry, but it's evident he doesn't want to stay around for too long either, and in that moment, Heiji almost feels like it's because the thief deems them unworthy of his presence.

He's halfway to the door, when the guards from the corridors to burst into the room. The questions about the blackout and everything else die on their lips quickly, and all it takes is one look from Kid while the fire reaches higher around him.

The fire, silent as it is, is a terrifying display of power. Or it could be, at least. Heiji is shocked to find how little Kid actually does with it, even though he seems to have it completely under his control. It's not like he wants the thief to burn the whole museum down, obviously. But this peaceful march of his, with no sign of anger, or even frustration, all of which he'd expected after hearing all the cops whine about how insufferable he'll be, and hearing Kudou too, it puts him off.

Yes, the fire could be taken as a sign, a warning for challengers of the future, foolish museum owners who think that imitating Suzuki and his cheap trick is a good idea. But it's nothing more than that. It seems that Kid is careful not to take out his anger, if he feels any at all, on the Task Force, who had nothing to do with the fake necklace. Heiji can read this from the way he moves, and from the way the fire seems to move with him, carefully nudging those out of the way who are a slightly more reluctant to step aside, but never hurting them. It almost seems… kind.

Heiji doesn't know what to make of this. The man he first suspected of being a hunter now doesn't even show the callousness or the malice of a simple criminal. It confuses him, and as Kid reaches the door, for a moment, Heiji doesn't want to stop him because he's a threat that needs to be stopped. He wants to stop him because he's curious.

Just as the thief gets outside, he hears the sound of a fire extinguisher, but it's too late. The orange glow fades out on its own, leaving only darkness in its wake, as if Kid was never even there to begin with. People start waving around their flashlights, but it's not nearly enough for the large hall, and soon, everything descends into chaos.

And then, as if to add insult to injury, the sprinklers finally start working, drenching everyone in cold water.

The hall roars again. Some people lunge at the air, when they think the thief has walked just past them, even though he has no reason to return to the room again. The corridors, Heiji can tell by simply the sound, are now completely flooded by the rest of the Task Force, trying and failing to find Kid. With the beams of their flashlights, all they manage to do is blind each other occasionally.

As the mayhem goes on, Heiji feels like there's nothing left for him to do. After the events that passed, he feels strangely tranquil. Perhaps he's just too stunned, perhaps his frustration from letting his target slip away will come only later. But now it's like he's in his own bubble, away from the angry shouts and officers running left and right like poisoned mice.

No wonder he involuntarily jumps, when he suddenly feels a hand on his shoulder.

"Finally found you," Kudou gasps out, probably having more than his fair share of dodging guards and trying to navigate in the dark.

Heiji smiles to himself, recalling something his friend told him. "How do I know it's really you?"

"Well, while I wouldn't put it past Kid to walk around as me, I'm afraid you'll have to settle with your old friend. For now."

"For now?"

"Yeah. Come with me!" With that, Kudou is already dragging him through the crowd, paying little attention to the mess around them. He's awfully fast, and when they're not surrounded by so many people anymore, he breaks into a run. He clearly has a goal, even if Heiji doesn't know what it is yet.

In the background, some officers are screaming about something going missing, and he'd turn back to them, but he realizes that he'd lose track of Kudou that way.

"Where are we going?" he asks between two gulps of air.

"To the rooftop. We still might be able to catch Kid."

"What, he just goes to the rooftop everytime? Is that your meeting spot or something?"

"Of course not. But now he can only leave with his glider. The museum is completely surrounded - no one can leave the area without being searched. They're guarding every single hole."

"Hope they didn't forget about the roof."

"We didn't!" someone calls out. As Heiji looks back, he sees a couple of cops running behind them, all of them looking eager and determined.

"It might be too late, though, don't you think?" He might sound snarkier than intended, but now that there might be a chance again to catch Kid, he doesn't want to let it go. Luckily, none of them seem to mind, as they grin at him, as if to say "You think we didn't think of that already?"

"We're just the reinforcements, don't worry! There are others up ahead."

Just then, they hear the screams from higher up on the stairway. Not quite the bloodcurling ones Heiji sometimes heard at crime scenes, rather the ones that come out of pure frustration, but either way, it's not a good sign.

A few steps later they find the source of it all, a couple of officers now stuck together in a mess of what looks like glue and confetti. They do their best to separate from each other, their limbs straining in every possible direction to tear the thick layer of glue apart, but it almost seems hopeless. Kudou barely spares them a glance as he runs past them, and even Heiji can guess what happened. It was either a trap they walked into, or Kid did it himself, but either way, those poor men are of no help now. Still, as he overhears some of them asking "Did you even see him?" between various profanities, something uncomfortable flares up in his chest.

He hasn't seen or heard Kid at all. Even with his senses, he didn't notice a thing, and he should be able to, if Kid is really ahead of them.

"Are you sure he's up there?" he asks Kudou.

"No. But I hope he is."

"Right." It's not like he expects Kudou to reassure him. His friend is too caught up in the chase, and, though Heiji doesn't quite understand the joy he gets from it, he knows what it's like to focus on something so much that everything else fades into the background. He's just part of that background now, and that's fine. But that uncomfortable feeling in his chest doesn't go away, and the more he runs, the more aware he is of it.

He almost doesn't notice the small glass ball at his feet. He only sees the soft glint of it from the corner of his eye, and even then only because the light catches it just the right way, otherwise it'd melt into dull grey of the stairs. But as soon as he spots it, he knows he needs to stay away. He barely has a moment to jump, skipping three steps ahead, almost making Kudou fall over too as he bumps into him, and he already hears the rest of the cops cry out and fall.

His gut saved him, he realizes when he looks back. Those poor people are now lying in a miserable pile, stuck and tangled together, and that nasty layer of glue on top of them makes sure that none of them will be able to move from their spot for a good while, try as they might.

"What are you waiting for? Go!" they shout, and Heiji has no choice but to start running again. Kudou is already ahead of him – he's probably used to all this by now.

He catches up easily enough though, skipping a few steps on his way. It would be even easier if he didn't have to keep up appearances, if he could just… But such thoughts are useless. Right now, he's human, and he has to join the chase as such.

He only realizes how tired he is when he pushes open the large door leading to the roof, and he finally stops running. His breath leaves him in ragged gasps, and his heart tries to jump out of his ribcage with every beat. But even so, he's wary, looking around cautiously, trying to anticipate whatever Kid might throw at him.

But nothing happens. It's just him and Kudou and the empty rooftop. Even as he turns around and takes a few steps, there's no clown to jump out of the shadows, and he almost feels lost because of it. He came here, expecting some final confrontation for the night, and he only receives silence.

"So… were we wrong?" he asks hesitantly. The question leaves a bitter taste in his mouth, and the sense of another failure makes his heart heavy. Is this it? Is this how he has to leave again? "Or did we just miss him?"

He's almost distracted enough not to notice as Kudou walks forward, right over to the ledge, to lean over it and watch the street below. His posture seems to shift, as he squares his shoulders before he relaxes again.

"Oh, you know, I think he's already here."

"What do you mean, he's already here? There's no one here besides the…" He gulps as he suddenly understands. "The two of us." And indeed, as Kudou turns back towards him, he's wearing a wide grin, and the look he gives him seems to say: Do you see now?

He pushes himself away from the ledge then, and spreads his arms, as if to present himself. "You had the right idea down there. It's a shame you didn't go through with it," he says. He's using the very same condescending tone Kudou uses sometimes, and his gestures are just a little more theatrical, distinguishing himself just enough. And yet, he's still distressingly, eerily similar to the real one.

"You think this was a good idea? To reveal yourself to me here? I could still catch you." He steps forward again.

But Kid doesn't look threatened in the slightest. If anything, he looks pleased, as his grin softens into a smile. "You're confident, huh. I like that. You know, I'm glad you decided to stick around, even if our first two meetings were somewhat unfortunate."

"Unfortunate is right," Heiji mutters under his breath. As bitter as he is about it, he knows that it's not like Kid was trying to especially mess with him or exclude him from the chase. Besides, he has to worry about things that are a lot more important now than his bruised ego, he knows that.

Except… he doesn't know how to do it. To ask Kid about the gas right away would be suspicious, but at least plain weird. With the best case scenario, Kid would just assume that Heiji wants to use his own weapon against him. With the worst, he might just realize what kind of creature is standing in front of him exactly. If Kid doesn't know already, it would be the best to keep it a secret.

The thief interrupts his musings as he calls out to him and throws the necklace at him. Heiji catches it clumsily, not believing his eyes. Kid surely notices his confusion, as he smiles at him patiently.

"I give this back to you," he says. "Be a dear and return it to the owner, will you?"

"…what?" It's not like he doesn't know that Kid returns the things he steals, but actually seeing it happen… it's weird. He holds the necklace in his hand helplessly, feels its weight on his palm, and for a moment, he almost thinks that it would be better if Kid just took it with himself. Except the thief has apparently no intention to do that.

"I don't need it," he says, as if he didn't just go through all the trouble with the blackout and the fire and the sprinklers and all that for the jewel he gave back so easily. "It's not the one I'm looking for."

Faintly, Heiji hears the sound of guards running up on the stairs. Kid must hear them too, as he glances over his shoulder, then steps over the ledge. He spares Heiji one last smirk. "I hope we'll meet next time." And he jumps.

* * *

Reinforcements arrive just a little too late, only to see the white triangle sail away in the air. They don't seem angry at Heiji for letting him slip away, though he doubts he could care even if they did. Actually, they are fairly nice to him, one of them even patting him on the back, reassuring him that he'll get Kid next time.

Eventually, they push him towards the stairs, especially when they spot the necklace in his hand. "Oh, we should give that back!" they say. "At least the museum would have this thing left!" They laugh to themselves. Heiji doesn't get it, and he can only focus on the weight of that cursed Lady Red in his hands, as the voices around him fade into the background. On his way, he passes the glued together guards, who are now slowly being freed with the help of others, and they gratefully stretch their arms and legs. Eventually, they, along with the rest of Heiji's surroundings, simplify into just walls and obstacles he needs to avoid.

Two thoughts are taking over his mind, the word "why" and "I don't get it," repeating over and over in his head. Why is it that Kaitou Kid always makes him fail, both as a human and as a dragon? He can't catch up to him as a detective, and his trusted methods fall short.

It seems he was right, in the end. His frustration just took its time to arrive, but now it's taken over him with full force. He's curious, too, of course. Annoyingly enough that part hasn't left him, but now it's only to soothe some of the anger he has building up in himself. He wants to know things, he wants to understand, because in the end, somehow it has to make sense, Kid has to make sense, he just has to!

What kind of thief gives back the stuff he steals anyway, he asks himself. It isn't even like some sort of Robin Hood imitation, Kid doesn't give away things, he gives _back._ What does he mean, it's not what he's looking for? Heiji wants to tear at his hair, but he stops himself in the last second. Acting like he has to be specific, like he needs one particular gem…! He should be just happy that he managed to steal something, anything! The only ones who should have to be so damn specific about gems are…

Heiji stops dead in his tracks.

A voice comes back from his past, from his memories.

" _You must remember, Heiji… you have to watch carefully what your pearl turns into…"_

He wants to laugh, but only a choked exhale leaves him. It's just a stupid idea, he wants to tell himself.

He's all the more terrified when all the details that didn't make sense before seem to fit all of a sudden: the gas, his "failure" with the wind, the fire, and the way Kid apparently has a specific gem he's looking for.

He's scared that his sense of obligation towards his kind that kept him visiting heists now might turn into a sense of obligation towards Kid. He's scared that he might just find a brother in the thief, and a brother who needs his help.

He's scared because he doesn't know what to do.

He's scared because he found something he stopped believing in.

Hope.


	4. Dusty memories

_I'm not dead yet, but I'm getting there. To any of you who showed any interest in this fic, thank you._

 _I also must thank Hebiaczek, who once again corrected my story like a true hero._

 _Please enjoy~!_

* * *

Heiji doesn't realize how out of it he was after the heist until next morning, as he's holding a cup of scalding hot coffee in his hand and sees the events of last night in the news.

The entire jewel section of Oonuma Haruko's Medieval Gallery was stolen, says the bewildered reporter. And yes, Heiji too can vaguely recall that from yesterday – he remembers Nakamori shouting in rage as he found the little card in his pocket, telling him how the jewel section is Kid's consolation for getting tricked, and how the Task Force shouldn't worry since the thief holds no hard feelings against them. He also remembers Oonuma clutching the necklace Kid returned to her chest, weeping and mourning the loss of her collection. A few cops stood behind her, begrudgingly trying to comfort her, telling her that Kid would return everything anyway.

Even with the undeniable proof that it all was real, Heiji still feels like it was all a dream, though an awfully vivid one. If he focuses enough, he can summon the weight of Lady Red in his hands, the memory of cold rubies and gold standing in contrast with the warmth of the cup against his palms now. He tries not to think about what happened before he got the necklace back, though the memory keeps haunting him, waiting until he lets his guard down. Heiji isn't stupid, he knows he can't ignore it forever, and he doesn't want to. He just wants to give himself some time, and some privacy, something he can't fully have until he goes back to Osaka.

As if to prove his point, Kudou walks over to the TV as well, and groans when he sees what's in the news. Heiji doesn't blame him – another thing he can recall is Kudou being furious when he was found half naked and tied up in one of the restrooms. It's going to be a sore spot for a while.

"So you're going back today?" he asks, probably trying to take his mind off the humiliation of last night.

"Yeah. I already stayed longer than planned." And it's true. He went along with staying one more day too easily, and the façade of him living a life busy with work in Osaka is slipping. If he stays any longer, Kudou might worry or ask questions, and he can't have that. A lifetime of pretending couldn't prepare him for what his friend can do when he's curious.

"Well, I didn't mind…" Kudou mutters and looks away. Heiji knows that it's because he didn't have enough coffee yet, as he's too sleepy and too honest, but just awake enough to be embarrassed about it. It's kind of endearing.

"I didn't, either."

* * *

The day goes on quietly. Heiji, having nothing better to do, decides to follow Kudou around once again, but that mostly means sitting in his office and dragging him out for lunch. He _knows_ Kudou would otherwise try to function solely on the black sludge that comes out of the coffee machines. And while that at least gives him the illusion of being a good friend, he has very little to think about, meaning… The events of yesterday, the part of the heist he remembers the best, it's all coming back to him.

The image of Kid as one of his kind sticks. Everything he's thought about the thief is now being overwritten and Heiji has no control over it. Suddenly, Kid ceases to be an enemy, a possible hunter or a meddling human. Now he's a brother in need of help, someone Heiji absolutely needs to reach out to.

He wonders what he would do if he actually managed to talk to Kid. What would he say? Maybe he'd ask Kid about how he lived? Whether he was alone now, or if he stayed with other dragons? Does he know others at all? Or maybe first he'd ask what kind of dragon he is? How old he is? And how long has he been training? There are so many things he wants to know! In exchange, of course, he'd tell all about himself, if Kid asked, it would be only fair…

Too bad he doesn't know how to really interact with other dragons, since he never really learned that. But as long as he's polite and friendly, it can't go that wrong, can it?

"What are you thinking about?"

Kudou tears him out of his musings. He's already giving Heiji a strange look, as if he's trying to decipher him, and he doesn't seem to buy the innocent expression he gets in return. "You looked really serious there… Like something was bothering you."

"Well, I was … thinking…"

"About?" It feels a little like he's interrogating Heiji, but the concern in his eyes shows that he means well. "Now that I think about it, you've been out of it since last night. Is it about the heist? What happened?"

He gulps. Sometimes he wishes his friend wasn't so damn observant. "Nothing much, really. Kid disguised himself as you, and then managed to escape."

"Yeah, I know that," Kudou grumbles, though his annoyance isn't aimed at Heiji. "But why did that get _you_ so down?"

"I'm just confused, is all," he says, trying to sound as natural as possible. "I was thinking about what Kid said." Which is… partially true, and that's what probably saves him from falling victim to his own bad acting. "When he gave Lady Red back… he said, it's not what he's looking for. I was wondering what he meant by that."

He knows he succeeded when Kudou sinks into a thoughtful silence, before he looks back at Heiji. "Yeah, he tends to say that. I don't know what he means, though."

"Have you tried asking him?" he presses on, trying to keep the attention away from himself.

"I have. Not like I expected him to give me a straight answer, but he didn't say anything." Kudou frowns. "I couldn't see his face clearly, but he looked… sad, somehow."

"And I'm guessing you didn't try to push him after that…" He tries to do his best to appear unaffected, despite that tight, uncomfortable feeling in his chest. He can only hope that Kudou is lost in thought enough not to notice.

"I didn't."

The mood in the office sours and Heiji feels too worn out to try to lighten their conversation. He might've managed to distract Kudou for now, but in exchange, his mind gets clouded too. He needs a distraction, something that doesn't let him drift away, keeps his focus on one single thing…

He almost wishes for a case to show up.

* * *

He seriously starts suspecting that the gods actually hate him, when no distraction arrives, not even with his and Kudou's famously bad luck combined. Not on the train, or the bus, or during his walks between stations. Nothing. He doesn't need a murder, he'd be fine with just some burglar.

Instead, he has the little snippets of conversations he can catch, stretch and analyze, chew on them until there's nothing left to deduce from half dropped words. This gives him some focus, without letting him think about yesterday's event, so he wouldn't risk losing control from getting too worked up about it.

But the more he tells himself not to think about it, the more his mind tries to stray towards that topic, and by the time he reaches home, he feels like he pushed himself to the limit.

He wants to collapse on the couch like usual, throw his legs on the coffee table, and let himself go. It would feel good to let the tension finally drain from him. That would be probably for the best. But instead, he heads towards the basement, dropping his bag halfway.

* * *

The basement itself isn't too big, and it seriously doesn't help that it's filled to the brim with shelves and heaps of boxes, everything covered in dust. When Heiji opens the door and turns on the light, that small rush of air sends it all flying, and in the warm yellow light it's like glitter. If he wasn't used to this, Heiji would turn back, as every piece of furniture in there is a dust bomb, ready to explode at the smallest of touches.

This isn't the place for tools, winter coats and canned food, things that have some practical value. Everything here is precious because of the memories attached to them. The door to the dusty basement is a door to the past, which is why Heiji prefers to keep it closed most of the time. But at times like this, when he's forced to think about himself, about what he is and how the world is around him, he finds himself stuck down there, paralyzed by nostalgia that wraps around his heart and his throat.

There is no particular order he follows when he usually looks through the boxes, but there is one that he always, always opens first. A small green box that usually sits on the sturdiest shelf, in the middle, right at eye-level. Inside it, on the dark silk cushion, there are two jagged pieces of obsidian, blinking up at Heiji, reflecting the warm yellow light of the lamp above. Out of everything he has gathered in the basement, these things are the most precious to him. And yet…

He collapses on the old brown couch by the wall, and it gives a painful sounding squeak that barely registers in his head. There's very little that does. As he holds the box in his hands, he's just looking and looking at the two stones, like he's enchanted in some sick way. The thing that breaks him out of his haze is that familiar sting in his eyes, and so, he sets the box on his lap. Then, he closes his eyes, and with a deep breath, he summons his pearl. He hopes for some calm to settle in his heart, a sense of peace. But it doesn't come to him.

All he gets is the rush of loneliness. It gets stronger when he puts the pearl between the two obsidians, but he keeps on looking down on it, like a child would look at a failed drawing, disappointed but unable to turn away.

He stays there all night. The fatigue weighs on him more and more, but he resists it for as long as he can. He's not sure what he's doing, what he's accomplishing by not going to his room and finally getting into his bed as his body would want him to. But he wants to stay. Just a bit, he wants to submerge in his past. And that past follows him to sleep.

The next morning it takes him a while to fully wake up. He sinks back to his dreams several times, but he doesn't hang onto any of them. He's content with that. The times when he opens his eyes, lazily watching over the basement, he lets the mush of feelings and blurry images go, and what he's left with is a strange kind of emptiness. Like floating on water thoughtlessly.

He doesn't know what makes him move in the end, but eventually he sits up. He feels… drunk on something. It's that familiar sense of not giving a damn, of disorientation, of impulsiveness. When he spots the old photo albums on the upper shelves and feels the urge to reach out to them, he gets up and does just that.

They once looked vibrant and happy with the bright flowers printed on the outside, but now all of them are faded. The photos in them show distant relatives and long lost friends of his family, people Heiji has never met and never known. He can only guess, attach the names he heard from his parents to faces he picks at random. He wonders if old man Koutarou is that chubby man on the left, grinning wide up at the boy sitting on his shoulder, or if the tall, fox eyed woman with the fancy hairpin standing in the middle is that Mineko-san his mother used to get letters from.

There is only one man on the pictures that he had seen in real life, though only for a few minutes. He remembers that time – his father sent him away when the man arrived, but he snuck back into the house anyway and peeked through the gap between the paper walls. He remembers the way that man talked to his father, with a sense of familiarity and maybe even friendship, the way he sat, straight and proper but favouring his right leg, the way his dark eyes looked tired and weary. He remembers the little girl sitting next to him, frightened green eyes darting around the room before finally spotting Heiji, and her quiet gasp gave him away and he was kicked out by his father. He expected them to visit again later, to at least hear about them, but that never happened. He, always distracted by new things, didn't realize how wrong it was until years later, as he started hearing less and less about the others.

He huffs. It's not a good memory, so he chases it away, and he puts away the photo albums too.

Though most of the things kept in the basement only have sentimental value, unlike what tales about dragons would suggest, Heiji does have something that could be called a treasure. It's an old jewellery box. It was always treated with care, though it was hardly used. His mother didn't have that much jewellery, and the ones she had wew simple, too. Heiji could probably count on one hand the occasions he saw his mother wear those things, even though she was beautiful with them. But that was the thing, she just didn't need them. She was already like an elegant porcelain doll, though definitely not as brittle.

It's not much use for Heiji to have all this jewellery around, the pretty bracelets and hairpins and the rest, not wanting to wear them or sell them. But the box is still a part of his past, and he clings to it, in a way, even if he doesn't dare to look at it too often. When he does, he tries to guess where his mother got them from or which one was her favourite.

From his father, he mostly has books. The scientific ones outnumber the ones of poetry, and even the poems feel cold and restricted. He reads them not for their content, but for any glimpses of his father that he might find in them. But trying to reconstruct a man with just two dozen books is hard, and in the end, Heiji always has to wonder if he maybe knows even less about his father than before.

When he goes through them, again and again, he can easily see the image of his father, his eyes cast downwards to the words. He never looked up for too long, no matter what kind of ridiculous thing Heiji tried to get his attention. He wonders if maybe he was really just too immature, if instead of being loud and fighting for praise, he should've sat down and immersed himself in the books, too. Maybe they could've talked more, then. Maybe his father would've been prouder, then.

There's a wooden box, right next to the couch, shoved against the wall. It's filled with old toys, wooden swords and horses, a stick that's carved to look like a gun, some board game… These were for the rainy days, when Heiji wasn't allowed to go out and fly, when he was confined to the house.

Sometimes he carried them with himself even when it was sunny, though he didn't have anyone to play with. He does have a vague memory of his mother arranging the toy horses on the table, but most of the time, he was left with his imagination, to create playmates out of thin air, visible to him alone. And he could play like that, too, but he couldn't help but wish for something more. A younger brother.

But he didn't get one. His parents told him they didn't want to have another child. "You're enough trouble for us," his father said. And while his mother caressed his hair, she didn't add anything to it either, and so, Heiji remained alone.

It stung back then, and it never really stopped. There's no one around him, he's not sure if there are any other dragons still alive, but if only he had some memories to go back to when he had people, dragons, around him… Instead, he only has the knowledge that he never got to experience companionship, and possibly never will. Not the way other dragon children did. Because it's all over the photographs and letters, the little boys and girls holding hands, still for the camera's sake but eager to return to playing…

He shoves the toys back in the box, barely careful enough not to break them, and turns away.

On the lower shelves, there are letters, yellowed with time and always peeking out from the folders he tried to sort them into. Most of them are from after the time he was born, he can tell, even without the dates, because there's always at least one "And how is little Heiji?" That woman, Mineko-san, seemed to be the most curious about him, always fawning over how cute he must be, though he can't recall ever meeting her before.

He can't get much out of these things. They all talk about people he doesn't know, relatives he hasn't been introduced to, and events he hasn't got to participate in, and so, when he reaches the end of one, he's stuck with longing, wishing he knew, wishing he was there, too.

But there's a set of letters, put into special, more expensive folders, which Heiji treats with even more care than the others. Many of them are damaged, burned at the edges or entire parts of the paper missing, no doubt because of Heiji's minor accidents from when he was experimenting with his powers inside the house, but the damage they've sustained is not the only reason Heiji is so careful with them. It's because these letters are the ones that write about the one peer he might have. A dragon around his age.

Her name was Kazuha, and for a while, she didn't live that far away from Heiji's childhood home, before she moved, and then her family kept on moving farther and farther away. He couldn't find out why they did it, the letters didn't say. They were only gushing about Kazuha and how cute she was and how the two of them would definitely get along. One letter was dedicated to just her first flight and how well she did, to the point that Heiji actually felt a bit jealous.

Still, he has to wonder if that frightened, green eyed little girl was her. He likes to think that she was, because that would mean that at least once he met a dragon his age. He just can't understand why he was kept away from her. Or the rest of the people from the letters, for that matter.

There was a time when these letters sent him all across Japan, visiting every place the letters ever mentioned. He remembers those years well, when his burning curiosity always turned into disappointment, but some mad hope kept him going anyway. Every time he discovered a tiny hint, just a faint clue about his relatives whereabouts, he would pack up and go, and then spend weeks with sniffing around. The girl, Kazuha, was his biggest motivation, but if he "just" had found a dragon he hasn't even heard about, he would've been just as happy.

But every journey ended the same way, and after a while, there was nothing more to be learnt from the photos and letters. He stopped. Sometimes he wonders if at some point he should've been more stubborn, if he should've kept looking a little longer. Years passed, and his mind, the part that's always tries to be logical, knows that there's nothing to be done. But he still feels lonely.

… _but you're not alone anymore, are you?_

His hands still for a moment, but when he starts moving again, putting the letters in their folders, he feels a smile stretching his cheeks wider and wider. Just when he stopped looking…

Kaitou Kid isn't what he expected, true, but he doesn't care. So maybe he's not some recluse living in the middle of a dark forest, or a hermit on a mountaintop, but that's actually even better. Maybe he should be wary of Kid. But instead he's giddy and excited to have someone of his kind who's living among humans as well. And on top of that, it's someone who is so confident in their powers and their control that they aren't afraid to use them in public. It's a level of adjustment to the human world that Heiji admires. A dragon who learnt to have fun while not giving himself away…

And while he forces himself to remember that he doesn't have actual proof, that there's a chance that Kid isn't like him, he's almost sure and he wants to believe it.

He's been alone for too long.

* * *

The world doesn't care how excited he is to meet Kid again. Not in the slightest. By the time he hears about the next heist notice, three weeks have passed.

It's on a sleepy morning, with him poking at scrambled eggs and sipping on lukewarm coffee, that he hears the news, and he slams the cup back on the table with a loud "Finally!" It's good that he's suddenly not all that tired, because he needs to pack his things immediately and call Kudou, since the heist is on that very day, at 10 in the evening.

"Yeah, bit of a short notice, the thing arrived just this morning… You can stay over, if you want," Kudou says, and Heiji can almost hear the eagerness hidden behind a shrug.

And he thinks, he's really lucky, isn't he? He decides that one day, he'll have to thank Kudou for helping, for leading him to someone of his kind. Not now, of course, but… maybe before he'll retreat from the world once again. It would be hard, but in the end, it would surely feel good to be finally honest with his best friend.

"Thanks," he says with a smile, and puts as much gratefulness as he can into that single word.

* * *

"I'm not sure what I expected, but… it wasn't this."

The Purple Kitten, a former disco-motel combo that since then became a bar, is a shocking splash of colour in the otherwise unremarkable neighbourhood. Namely one colour. The owner, enamoured by the colour purple, had the whole building painted with it, the three stories all different hues. The place's name is written above the front door with neon, along with a neon kitten on the side. It's not the only cat on the building, though: near the roof, where the purple is of a much lighter shade, there are white cats painted and highlighted with neon again.

Kudou nods. "I tried to do some research on this place before we came here, but-" He's interrupted by some guests bumping into him.

The owner didn't close the place despite the heist. On the contrary. He prepared signs, telling everyone on the street that indeed, this is where Kid will try to steal tonight's target from. And the people are coming for the attraction, like they always do.

Some of them are swaying to the music flowing from inside, but none of them quite as much as the two girls standing at the front door, wearing cat ears and purple, skin tight dresses. They aren't bothered by the cops who are also standing there, way too stiff and stone faced to be natural.

"I think… we should go in," Kudou says finally, with a grim determination in his voice.

"We should," he agrees, but then they stand there for a couple more minutes. That is, until they hear the outraged roar from inside that could only be Nakamori.

"I didn't even do anything yet…" Kudou mumbles and shoots him a little grin.

"Neither did I," he answers, and they both burst out laughing.

It's with that laughter that they finally get in, getting a cheery "hiii~!" from the two girls and stiff nods from the cops. Now they can hear the happy funk music more clearly, but also the shouting. It's almost enough to distract them from the interior.

The lobby looks like it wants to belong in a small but fancy hotel, especially with the oversized chandelier above, glittering glass alive with the light of several dozen tiny lights. The walls are champagne coloured, with thin lines of purple zig-zagging on top of it, and dark mahogany furniture set against it. There's a light purple stairway leading upstairs, and a big doorway that seems to lead to the bar and dance floor. That's where the shouting comes from, and also where some more cops are standing, curiously looking inside, but refusing to actually enter. That's where they're heading towards.

Compared to the relative darkness of the entry, it's like a cave inside, although it's a cave illuminated with neon, a thousand tiny purple spotlights up on the ceiling, like stars, and the typical disco lights on the dance floor. The bar itself, to the right of the door, breaks the rule of that single colour a little, because of the white lamps above the bartenders' heads, but then their uniforms bring it all right back, with the dark aubergine flitter vests that they're wearing over white shirts. Then there are the tables, spreading from the bar table to the opposite wall. Beyond all of that are the dance floor and the stage, where a lone man with a messy red hair fiddles with his laptop, trying to do his best, despite the fact that most of the patrons already don't care what kind of music is being played.

Between the tables and the dance floor, right in the middle, is a glass display with today's target in it, a large amethyst called Wistful Twilight. Heiji sighs. This is clearly one of those lures Kudou talked about: some rich guy buying some big gem and hoping that Kid would show up eventually, and for what? Free advertisement and entertainment? It doesn't sit well with him. Were he forced to do this, forced to look for gems, any gem, like Kid is, he would hate to come to a place like this. And even if Kid is more of an entertainer than he ever could be… It's not right.

But just when he'd make a remark about how the gem doesn't suit this seedy bar in the slightest, Nakamori, standing right next to the display, starts shouting once again, paying no mind to the two bulky guards beside him.

"I'm not going to stand back and watch as he steals that damn rock!"

There's a short, pudgy faced man next to Nakamori as well, all placating hand gestures between the quick attempts to arrange his thinning hair, and those easy going smiles that only seem to make the inspector angrier. He, in contrast, speaks with such a soft voice that Heiji has trouble hearing what he says until he gets close enough.

"Now now, Inspector, I've told you the people here don't mind-"

"Well I do! It's my job to mind him!"

"But maybe tonight you could take it easy? My patrons only want a nice show and-" When the man spots Heiji and Kudou walking towards them, he smiles even wider than before, like he apparently recognizes them, and gestures for them to come closer as he raises his voice. "Oh my, it's you two! The young detectives helping to catch KID! Can't you convince the good inspector to rest a little tonight?"

Curious eyes turn to the both of them, and whispers erupt all over the place. ' _Isn't he that famous…?'_ , they ask. By now, there are several people in Tokyo as well, who recognize Heiji, something that makes him equal parts happy and surprised. But when he hears his name among all the excited chatter, he can't help the satisfied little grin.

Nakamori spares them only a glance, though, and he snorts. "No one will convince me, especially not these two brats. Now, my men need to set up for tonight, and I would appreciate if you and your patrons would cooperate." By now, he has noticed the guests all staring at him and giggling at his outbursts, so he quiets down, just barely, but he practically spits every word like venom.

"But, dear Inspector, don't you see that these people only want to have fun? Forget the worries of the day and let the tension out. But it's so hard to relax when your men are standing at every corner, watching over them like hawks!"

"Never mind that they'll do a lot more than just watching over them when Kid shows up," Kudou mutters, but he's quiet enough that no one but Heiji can hear him.

"Don't you want to enjoy yourselves tonight, my dear guests?" the man asks the crowd, raising his arms a bit higher, raising his voice too, and the cheers he gets in return keep him going. "Don't you want to see Kid? Isn't that why you came here? To see his show? To see him perform?" And the people roar in response, as if Kid is already there, standing on top of the glass display. And then-

"Perhaps the guests would find his performance even more entertaining if the police at least gave him a challenge. Wouldn't you agree, Murasawa-san?"

They hear an odd cadence, calm and smooth, but strong enough to rise above the cheering of the crowd. Everyone quiets down, and turn to the man standing behind Heiji.

Most people would notice the shock of blonde hair first, but to Heiji, the first detail that really catches his attention is the cold, calculating light in those honey brown eyes. It makes the smile the man is wearing downright mocking.

"A challenge, huh?" Murasawa starts, looking suspicious at the newcomer.

"Yes," the blonde man answers. "An escape artist is boring if he has no cage to escape from." He chuckles. "I think Kid himself would find it boring as well."

"I-indeed! Let us give him a great and exciting challenge then!" With a grand, theatrical flair, he holds his hand out to Nakamori, who, affronted as he is, shakes it anyway, and the crowd gets lively once again. When two policemen enter with reflectors, they greet them like heroes, even though they won't be rooting for them later.

Murasawa slips away after that, to join some rich looking guests sitting in the corner. Heiji doesn't really mind that he's gone, with his fake theatrics and his slimy nature – people like that always made him uneasy. But the newcomer, now watching over the bar with a muted but satisfied smirk, doesn't make him any calmer.

He doesn't fit in. That in itself wouldn't be such a surprise, when he's obviously not Japanese. It's actually more about how he nearly radiates overwhelming confidence, despite that the cops around him show an obvious discomfort and tenseness. With the way he holds himself, he doesn't need the natural height advantage over the others around him. No matter what, it would feel like he's already a head above (and ahead of) anyone else.

Heiji isn't unfamiliar with all this. He remembers how Kudou used to be similar as well. All youthful haughtiness, so convinced that he's smarter, better than anyone around him. But Kudou used to be livelier, rasher, and even when the cases made him too tired, too jaded, he still had an air around him like he was eager to just enjoy living. This man, close to Heiji's apparent age, is different: He's still, too still. Almost… predatory. Like this whole place is his hunting ground.

"Is there something on my face?" the newcomer asks, suddenly too close and looking at him curiously. Actually, he kind of looks like he's already dissecting Heiji in his head. "You were staring for quite a while."

"No," he answers, barely gathering himself in time.

"Oh. In that case…" The stranger holds out his hand, flashing a smile that's pleasant' in the same way as meeting your boss randomly on a weekend is. "Hakuba Saguru. It's a pleasure to meet you."

Riiight, he _has_ heard of him before, Heiji thinks, as he reaches out to shake his hand.

But as he introduces himself, he can't help but feel like he's forgetting something important, something related to Hakuba…

"I've heard about you," Hakuba says. It's not a new phrase to Heiji, but it's a bit odd how he hears none of the admiration or fascination that usually comes with it. "I've never known you were interested in Kid's heists, though."

I'm not interested in his _heists,_ he almost says, before he manages to hold himself back. "Oh well, I just thought I would take a look."

"'Take a look,' huh. And interfering a bit as well, hm?" he asks with a smirk.

"What's that supposed to mean?" The snarl isn't intentional, but Heiji can't really bring himself to regret it.

"Nothing, nothing," he laughs, waving Heiji off. "You just seem to like to lead little solo adventures on your own."

"They're more likely to work than standing off to the side," he shoots back, but it only earns him a chuckle.

"Can't argue with that," he returns with a smile, before his gaze trails off to somewhere behind Heiji, and his eyes widen a little. Heiji's curious to know what he might've seen, but he has the feeling that he doesn't want to show his back to the guy. "Though maybe they would be more likely to succeed if you actually cooperated with the others. Just an advice. Now, if you'll excuse me…" He spares Kudou a quick nod, and leaves them behind.

"Oh, you little…" he growls, and finally turns to see what caught Hakuba's attention.

"Just… let it go, Hattori. He's weird, but he does his job well." Kudou sounds like talks from experience, so Heiji tries to listen to him. Emphasis on 'tries'. "Don't worry, you'll get used to him if you keep coming to the heists," Kudou continues. "He's been in Europe for a while now, but since he's back, I imagine he'll want to keep going after Kid, like he did before."

"Well, isn't that great…" he grumbles. But he's more focused on the familiar face by the bar that Hakuba seems to be headed towards as well.

"Oh! Isn't that Kuroba? Your old friend?" Heiji doesn't even have to look at him to know that Kudou's wearing that shit-eating grin. Seems like making fun of him last time wasn't enough. "Didn't you want to ask him some questions earlier?"

He did, didn't he? But then he asks himself: when he has access to the archives and too many fan forums to count, is there anything a regular fan could tell him that he can't find elsewhere? Yeah, no. The guy is just lucky enough to know Nakamori personally, and that's about it.

"Doesn't matter," he says, turning back towards the gem. "Wouldn't wanna lead any 'solo adventures' tonight." That one gets him a giggle from Kudou. "So I'm gonna stick with you. I need to make sure you won't get stuffed in the toilet again, after all."

"Ha ha ha…"

Heiji spares a glance at the Wistful Twilight. He wonders: if it's a dragon's pearl, if it's Kid's pearl, would he feel something? He knows that when he summons his own, he can feel some energy seeping out of it, and he remembers the same with his parents' pearls, too, but… would it work with a dragon who's completely unrelated? It should, shouldn't it? But even when he focuses on it the best he can, there's just… nothing.

He knows what it looks like when the link between dragon and pearl is severed completely. He doesn't know what it's like when a dragon just loses the pearl. If it stops acting like a pearl, if the dragons' senses become duller with time, or if both of these things happen… He sure as hell isn't going to drop his own pearl into the sewer to try and see how it works. But even if he did, how could he be sure that other dragons and other pearls work just the same?

If only he was told more about pearls, it would be so much easier, but neither he nor his parents expected that he would end up being alone so soon and left with so many unanswered questions .

And when he doesn't know himself, he can't expect himself to know Kid either, can he? He can't understand the inner workings of Kid's pearl. He has no idea if he feels and experiences things the same way as Heiji does.

Then again, maybe Kid isn't looking for a pearl, maybe he's not a dragon at all. It's a possibility, no matter how much Heiji hates it. But if he thinks this way, all of Kid's actions fail to make sense. He doesn't keep anything, after all. He loses more than he gains, precious time and money sacrificed for heists that don't reward him with anything, and there's the danger of getting caught, too. It's a level of mindless thrill seeking that Heiji just can't believe.

"Hattori? Hattori, you're spacing out again. Hey. Heeeeey."

A blink, and he's back in The Purple Kitten, surrounded by that garish colour everywhere. Kudou is standing in front of him, wearing that worried expression that he denies every single time Heiji points it out to him.

"Yeah? Sorry, I was… thinking. About stuff."

"I can see that. Did you notice something about the display?"

"No, not really," he stammers. "I was just… you know. Wondering about, um… where Kid might show up exactly." That sounds… tolerable, as far as lies go. Even though Kudou gives him a weird look, he at least seems like he's willing to go along with whatever he blurted out.

"It wouldn't surprise me if he was already here," he shrugs, glancing towards the door for a moment.

"Just walked in, huh?"

"Maybe." Something doesn't seem right about the way he says it. There's too much deliberation for this one, simple word, and Kudou has this easygoing, unassuming smile, and just-

He charges before he knows it, pinching Kudou's cheeks and pulling as hard as he can.

"Oooowww owowow stop it! Let me go!" Which Heiji does, when he sees there's no mask. " We came in here together, idiot! I'm not him!"

"Right, right, sorry!" It's hard not to laugh at the withering look Kudou gives him, making a face that's way too miserable for it to work. "I wonder why Nakamori hasn't done it yet, though. Didn't you say he tries this all the time?"

"Sssshut your mouth!" he flails. "I don't want another… ugh, this. Hopefully he realizes that Kid might not even wear a disguise, so it's unnecessary."

"Well, it can't hurt to try!" Nakamori says, suddenly behind them, and pulling on their cheeks with a grin and definitely more force than necessary. That grin only widens when the two of them yelp, but he eventually lets them go. "It's almost time. I won't tell you two where to go, heavens know you won't listen. But I want to know what you're planning."

"There's not much to be planned," Kudou says with a shrug, which is kind of ruined with how he holds his palm over the right side of his face, awfully careful. "We'll just stand off to the side for now."

"We will?" Heiji asks, surprised. He thought that they would be near the display, so they would have more chance to grab Kid when he gets close.

"We might get dogpiled otherwise." Nakamori grimaces – he obviously doesn't like the word. But he doesn't look entirely disapproving when Kudou says it.

"Alright. Don't be underfoot and don't wander off," he warns them, not with the grimness of an officer, but with the weariness of a high school teacher who has really, really had enough in life. Then, he leaves them, off to the same direction Hakuba went, and surely enough, he stops by the bar where the other two are sitting.

Heiji watches them for a moment. He sees in the harsh white light above the bar the way Nakamori's frown eases just a little while he talks to them, sees Hakuba tilting his head, sees Kuroba smiling a little differently than last time, with slightly more warmth, but it's strained. Since he's not involved, it's easy for him to just make up random reasons why, with no care whether he's right or not. They are no different from the other people he watches, other than the fact that he knows their name. It's probably not nice, he thinks, treating humans around him like he was in a zoo, but then again, it's not like he's hurting anyone by doing so.

He snaps himself out of it before Kudou would ask something, though. That calculating look is already there, so Heiji has to distract him somehow.

"…dogpiled?"

Kudou blinks. "What?"

"You said we might get dogpiled if we stay here." It doesn't matter that he has already read about this in the archives. For one, hearing about it from another source can't hurt. But most importantly, he wants Kudou to keep talking, hoping he'll be scrutinized less in the meantime.

"Oh. Yeah, that. By the time the heist starts, the people can get a little jumpy, and when they finally see anything that resembles Kid, they just leap at it. Nakamori isn't helping either, with all the shouting. And then, even if Kid was nice enough not to drop superglue on everyone, it's still difficult to get free."

Oh? Those words sound like they come from experience. "So you got dogpiled too?" A dark look passes over Kudou's features, which is pretty much all Heiji needs to know he found a touchy subject. He grins. "How many times?"

A groan. "Way too many. Anyway, we should find a place to stand. The others seem to take their place, too." He gestures at a group of cops heading their way, probably to guard the jewel.

After a moment of consideration, Kudou leads him to the wall, a couple of steps away from the bar. This way, they can keep their distance from the people crowding around the DJ booth with their requests, the ones who are still dancing but with more and more apprehension, and the ones waiting on their drinks, while they can also keep an eye on the entire place.

And something is up, just a second later, it seems, as Kudou pokes his arm, and asks: "Say, do you see Hakuba anywhere?"

"Nope," he answers after scanning the room. He shrugs, as if to shake off the slight uneasiness he feels. He can't say he really cares about the guy, but him disappearing like that is a little strange…

But the heist will start any moment now, so he can't wander off. There's already a sense of tension in the air, as the conversations turn muted but more excited, and gazes dart around the room, searching for the place Kid might appear at. Breaths held, shoulders tensing, hearts beating faster and faster-

A shrill cry erupts from the bar table. It's followed by a series of gasps from all around the room, and the stunned silence that descends on everyone is stronger than the pulsing music around them. Now it's nothing more than an extension of their heartbeats drumming furiously in their ears.

Because behind the bar table, in the midst of it all, stands Kid. He's leaning closer to the woman in front of him, smiling sweetly and handing her a glass filled with something caramel coloured and glittery. He doesn't seem real, pristine white, even paler under the lights of the bar, as if he's made of light himself. An illusion.

"Capture him!" roars Nakamori.

Like hounds on a foxhunt, the cops from every corner of the place rush forward. Their eyes are all set on their target, and they push through everything in their way – the furniture, the guests. But people usually don't enjoy getting trampled, and it's no different this time either. Screams, shrieks, offended shouts join the cacophony created by the Task Force.

If only it was just the noise. The Task Force could deal with noise – with how noisy they themselves are, eventually they learn to tune it out. The problem starts when there are a few too many tipsy people who just so happen to be fans of Kid as well. It took only one of them to come to the conclusion that it would be a good idea to grab and restrain an officer to help their idol. Because soon a few others will follow too, and the hold of those fans is a thousand times more terrifying than any prank Kid himself could prepare.

Heiji, like he's been shaken awake by the shouting, wants to rush ahead, too, but he feels a strong grip on his elbow.

"What the-"

He wants to jerk his arm away, but Kudou holds him back and he shakes his head, as he mouths: "Don't." He lets Heiji go after that, and turns towards the commotion instead. Heiji notes that he observes the mayhem with concern. He realizes that the dogpile is probably the least they should worry about now.

Kid himself doesn't seem too bothered by the swarm of cops struggling with the drunken guests before him, though he does pull back from the table, like one would from an overeager admirer, when some do manage to break free and try to reach to him. The glass he gingerly puts down gets pushed off to the ground almost immediately by the first man who gets there, scratching over dark mahogany as he tries to climb over to where Kid stands, causing the last bartender to flee.

"Careful~" The glass shards float up to Kid's palm. Once he catches all of them, he throws them above his head with a wide grin. They turn to thick, caramel coloured mist as soon as they touch the ceiling, matching the colour of the drink they used to hold. It spreads and spreads, until it almost touches the wall across the table

The cops flinch away at first, expecting the glass shards and losing sight of Kid right away. When the mist finally clears, it's the gasps and the gazes of the guests that lead them again, a few steps away from the table and… up to the ceiling.

Because Kid is standing right there. His face shows the kind of serenity only he could pull of while doing something so ridiculous. It's as if gravity is pulling him the wrong way, and not a single hair on him seems to be willing to obey the law of physics that control the life of regular humans. When he takes a small step forward, his cape moves behind him like it would if he was still walking on the ground.

"Such a dedicated audience I have…" he starts, but beneath the show smile and his usual self-assured tone, there's something steely. "But if you want to be more than an audience member, you'll have to deal with the consequences."

At that, Heiji feels a shiver run down his spine, though for one more moment, he doesn't understand why. But, out of the corner of his eye, he sees Kudou pull even further from the bar, and unconsciously, he does the same. And then he finds out why.

It appears that Kudou had some premonition, what with mentioning superglue earlier. Just a blink after the fans begin cheering in earnest again, and right when Nakamori begins spouting obscenities, something glittery and glue-like erupts from the Task Force's collective pockets. It's not enough to envelop their entire bodies, but whatever material Kid has used is enough to glue everyone to each other and the nearest piece of furniture. Profanities follows, as one would expect.

Kid is already moving on though. A few more confident steps on the ceiling, and he's right above the case holding his target. He doesn't have to worry about the guards around it – they are paralyzed like the rest of the Task Force. In fact, they seem to have gotten an even bigger dose of that glue than the others, leaving their midsection as well as their legs enveloped by it.

He hops off the ceiling, and with a loop, he returns to the right side of gravity, too. He looks weightless all the while. He might as well be flying, Heiji thinks, and that leads him to certain thoughts again. He shakes his head and chides himself. Pay attention, he tells himself, and so he tries, as he starts moving towards him just as Kid brushes his palms against the glass case.

The gem disappears.

Heiji gapes, blinks at the pedestal. But it's useless, the Wistful Twilight is in Kid's hands now, rather than behind glass that was never theft proof to begin with. He gathers himself back only when Kid allows himself a short bow and disappears in a flash of light.

"Don't touch the glue," he hears from the side, and Kudou is already ahead of him. He doesn't need more to convince his own legs to move faster, making his way through the crowd of the paralyzed and cheering. He strains his ears the same way Kudou is trying with his eyes, one searching for the sound of quick but steady footsteps, the other for the ripple of a black cloth.

Until Kudou comes to a sudden stop in front of a wall. Heiji almost bumps into him, before he brushes past and pushes on the spot where the wallpaper looks different. When it gives under his touch, he can't help the little grin. He did hear something like an explosion, and the busted lock on the other side of the hidden door aligns with that nicely. It leads them to a dark corridor, where the only sources of light are the green lamps near the ceiling, marking the way to the exit. They're not sure what the purpose of this place is, and they don't have time to think. The footsteps ahead of them, quicker than before, are getting faint.

And so, Heiji cheats. It's not much, just allowing himself run a bit faster than his apparent build would let him, though he remembers to keep himself on the ground. It's only because Kudou is still nearby, and he would find it weird if he couldn't hear him anymore. Kudou finding things weird about him is never good. But this much? This much he can easily blame on adrenaline, curiosity and the like. It's not like his friend wouldn't get it.

The only disadvantage of his speed is the fact that he's quicker to run into walls when he doesn't realize he has to turn in time. After the first painful encounter, he pays better attention to the arrows on the lights above them, refusing the slow down. It's not his fault the damn corridor is so dark.

There's a hiss of air ahead of him. It would be quiet for everyone else, but to his ears, it might as well be the sound of a gunshot. This is the sound he ignored at the first heist, he remembers now, this is the sound he needs to watch out for the most. He fishes out a handkerchief out of his pocket and holds it in front of his face. It might not do much, but… _Damn, I need to prepare better._

The next sounds he hears is of a door being pushed open, quickly followed by a short, sharp laugh that he recognizes as Kid's. Even though it's so quick, it strikes Heiji how different it is from the voice he normally would hear during a heist. It's less… controlled. And isn't that a strange thought, but the more he dwells on it (as much as he can during running anyway), the more he realizes how fitting it is.

He turns once again, and the door is right there. It's barely cracked open, and a thin line of light slips in and stretches across the floor, as if to lead the way. It's the finish line, less than ten steps. Heiji grins wider and cheats a little more – he's even faster, and the air lifts him up with every step. He's so close, he's so impossibly close…!

The sound of a low, confused growl comes from outside. This too, he can recognize as Kid's, and this too, he finds less controlled, less of the vocal extension of a mask. It's… childish, almost. Up until now, he never thought of Kid as childish, though maybe he should've.

But his feet won't stop now, and his hands are almost reaching out to tear open the door. Whatever thoughts he has, he can linger on them later, if there will be any point to it at all once he's talked to Kid. He's learned to accept that one meeting might just upend everything he thought about before – it certainly wouldn't be the first time. It's scary, Heiji would think later, how easily he cast away the fear of sudden things for the hope of finding someone like him. But that has to wait until one of his more introspective moments.

"Aah, that won't work, I'm afraid. I might've found your equipment before the heist. But why are you in such a hurry, I wonder?"

Heiji stops and stumbles away from the door like he's been scalded by it. It's not Kid's voice anymore, but he knows who it belongs to. He'd recognize that odd cadence anywhere…

A huff. "What could you possibly mean, Tantei-san?" Kid has returned to his normal voice, Heiji notes. There's a strain in it, but it's so faint, he almost thinks he's just imagined it.

"I was hoping for a show, like the ones you usually do. I haven't seen you in a while, after all…"

Kudou catches up to him in the meantime, and Heiji unconsciously holds out his arm, to stop him from going outside. It's… dumb, or at least weird, he'll realize later. It's not like he could get his private little chat with Kid anyway, stopping his friend now wouldn't change much.

Probably not for these reasons, but Kudou pushes past him anyway, swinging the door open.

"Oh?" Hakuba doesn't seem the least bit surprised at their appearance. If anything, he looks smug, awfully so. "It seems I wasn't the only one expecting more." Heiji's hands clench into fists without him even realizing it. Hakuba is lucky he can direct his attention to Kid.

He seems a little awkward, standing there. It's a new look on him, at least to Heiji, and he's not sure what caused it. This is not the first time he surprised Kid, and back then he took it all in stride, cocky smile, confident voice, his stance ready for anything.

"Well, maybe next time?" he asks, and all the awkwardness is suddenly gone. It's like a mask has slipped back to its place, and Kid is back to as he was. But it's not a relief anymore, not when Heiji caught a glimpse of things that might be hidden underneath.

"Maybe," Kudou replies. "I hope you don't mind me interrupting you, by the way. I figured I should try to provide some challenge, since the Task Force went so easy on you." He's speaking while wearing an easy smile, like he's talking to an acquaintance, even allowing himself that tiny joke about the cops.

Kid doesn't mind. He smiles back in return, even if it's a show smile. "I seem to recall you saying you gave up on me?"

… _what?_

Kudou shrugs, still easy going. Even if he can feel Heiji practically glaring holes into the back of his head, he doesn't turn back to him, doesn't react.

"I'm sure you have several other escape plans," Hakuba cuts in, taking advantage of the little pause. When Kid looks back at him, his expression changes ever so slightly, but it's one that Heiji has a hard time describing. "Or maybe you'll just use some smoke, like usual?" That smirk, and more importantly, the smugness behind it is easily recognizable, though.

Kid tilts his head, and taps on his cheek. "I could… but I have a feeling you'd find that terribly boring. How about something else?"

Before they can react, they're all blinded by the sudden light erupting at their feet. Long, agonizing moments pass before they can see again, and by that time, unsurprisingly, Kid is gone.

"What the-"

Even with eyes blinded, he can _feel_ that something is wrong. The clothes he's wearing feel foreign against his skin, and there's a light weight on his head that wasn't there before.

"Haha… and how is this any different from a smokescreen?" Hakuba asks.

"He did do something else," Heiji says with a growl and gestures at the three of them. Though he was the first to do it, it doesn't take long for the other three to fully blink the brightness out of their eyes. And when they return to the now comforting evening darkness with only the neon lights above their heads, they can see themselves… dressed up as Kid. All three of them, no less.

"The speed he did it with is impressive… if ultimately unsurprising," Hakuba concludes. He almost shrugs, before he stops mid-motion – not used to the clothes he's wearing. Otherwise, he's unbothered by their situation, and by the fact that Kid got away, too. He probably got used to it in that almost-decade that's Kid's second run.

Heiji, however, is new to this, and impatient. His reasons differ too – they are more urgent, more important. Hakuba is just chasing someone who doesn't necessarily needs to get caught, but he's trying to get closer to a brother, possibly in need of help. And yet…

"Oi, Kudou…" he growls. "What was he talking about? Did you really give up on him?"

Kudou in turn winces and looks away. "See, this isn't-"

"You've never told me!"

Instead of answering, Kudou glances behind him. Heiji, too, whips around, and sees Hakuba staring at the both of them, head tilted, eyes sharp. So he's also curious. But Heiji would rather bear the wait, as annoying as it might be, than to give him more. So he looks back at Kudou, steps closer and lowers his voice. "Tell me when we leave here." He gets a tired nod as an answer, and for now, he tries to be satisfied with that.

His patience gets tested even further when they're swarmed from two sides: Task Force members who were stationed behind the disco, and a large group of fans gathered near the front, noticing the three of them nearly at the same time. Between angry shouts and delighted squeals, Heiji is tempted to use his powers to free himself from this mess.


	5. Through trial and error

_Well, hello everyone. I'm back._

 _And I need to apologize. The beginning of this year has been a nice emotional journey, if by journey we mean my heart taking more hits than it gets during a year usually. I only kept writing out of spite, and I don't know how much it shows on the quality of this writing. I've done what I could, but I felt like I needed to say this, as a warning. Thank you for understanding._

 _In other news, **I am looking for beta readers!** I am not a serious writer, so it wouldn't be hard work (or maybe that's precisely it would be hard? I don't know...), but apparently I can't write without feedback ^^" Soooo, if any of you are interested in the broken version of this fic's chapters, reach out to me! Thank you!_

 _Also, also, also. Thank you a lot for follows, favs, and reviews. I know I've been bad about replying lately, but I am still incredibly grateful for each one of them._

 _And now, to the chapter! Please enjoy!_

* * *

The clean-up and paperwork after a heist is tedious at best, and downright maddening at worst. And of course that it falls into the latter category now, when Heiji is so impatient to be done with it. By the time they decide to give it a rest and head home, it's past 2 am. Heiji overhears a few cops jokingly, tiredly wonder if there's a point to going to sleep at all.

He himself would have it easy, normally. But he knows it'll take long before he'll allow himself to retreat for the night, and even then, he's not certain he'll be able to fall asleep.

When they get back to the apartment, it's clear that Kudou knows what he's planning. He gives him one last almost-pleading look when he opens the door, but he seems to realize it won't work with a sigh. "Let me get some coffee, at least," he says, sounding a bit defeated.

Watching him retreating to the kitchen, Heiji almost feels bad. If only because of that, he sits down and tries to compose himself. He won't let Kudou off the hook, but at the very least, he can try acting normal. Calm. There's no need to tire his friend out even more with his temper after all.

Not that he doesn't have an understandable reason to feel like this. The first flare of anger only came from Kudou not telling him, like a small wave of jealousy as a friend. A stupid little thing. But then he had to wonder what made Kudou give up in the first place. He knows his friend, knows him just enough to see how he doesn't step down easily, not when it comes to a criminal. And Kid might've overstepped that already for Heiji, but not for Kudou, who should be still intent on catching him, putting him behind bars… What would be big enough for Kudou to give up?

And Heiji certainly could think of something that would be big, even terrifying enough for a human. If his brother was found out, even just by Kudou… Because there's no guarantee information wouldn't travel from his friend. It could evolve into a police rumor – in fact, there is already one, though they don't know what Kid is with certainty. Or it could be a blossoming talk among Kudou's fans? They can jump at his every word, especially the more obsessed ones.

Once it starts, there would be no end to it. It could reach anyone's ears. And once it did, Kid would be in even bigger danger than he was in before. Looking for his pearl, he's already weakened… If a hunter came along…

Heiji doesn't know what to do. He needs to find out whether Kudou has seen anything and told anyone about it. If he stayed quiet about it, his job would be to keep it that way, but his kind's methods would… No, he can't do it to him. Kudou is his friend, dammit, he can't…!

He feels restless on the squeaky couch, his knees bounce, he finds himself clapping his fingertips together mindlessly and clenching his teeth. So he stands, paces around the living room, his mind miles away. He almost bumps into Kudou too, who dodges him just barely.

"Careful there." He watches Heiji for a moment longer before he darts over to the couch and sits, a little more tense than usual. Then, with a final breath, he turns to Heiji again. "So. You want to know why I gave up on Kid, huh."

Heiji nods in response. He doesn't call Kudou out on him blatantly trying to just buy some time for himself – he already looks uncomfortable as he is.

"Okay." Another breath, a quick sip of coffee. "I have chased him for a long time. I wanted to put him behind bars for a long time, too. But eventually… I thought that he's not the guy who needs to get arrested the most." Kudou doesn't look into his eyes, and he's acting like tries to succeed at an exam he didn't prepare for. But Heiji can't believe him yet, no matter how much he wants to.

"You assign priorities to criminals now?" he asks, trying to mask distrust with surprise, worrying he fails, hoping Kudou doesn't see it.

Kudou winces. "No… That's not how it works, and you know it."

"So you're just making an exception with Kid?"

He opens his mouth, closes it, fiddles with his cup. Takes a sip, then looks like he regrets it. He's looking for good words, but everything he finds he discards as soon as they enter his mind. Heiji would feel sorry for him, if it was about anything but this. With this, he can't be anything but cruelly patient and persistent.

"Look," Kudou finally says. "I was thinking about this for a while. When I first thought of it, it seemed stupid. But really, what has Kid really done? He's being chased as a thief, but that would mean he keeps the stuff. He doesn't." He takes another sip, once again, trying to buy some time. Heiji waits him out. "The worst I can think of is… collateral damage. That's all he does. Which, by the way, he makes up for with all the free advertisement his heists bring. Having a few windows broken by him is like an investment to people. The baits, too, I've told you about them, right? You've seen it yourself now! People want him around."

Heiji doesn't miss how Kudou's voice is firmer now, and the tension in his body isn't just from nervousness, but… determination? Or something very much like it. Kudou is trying to convince him that Kid isn't a bad person.

The realization isn't the kind that hits him too hard, but he has to smile nonetheless. _Stupid_ , he thinks. _I don't need you to tell me that._

"And he doesn't kill people," Heiji finishes. Kudou startles at first, before he eases back on the couch again with a soft sigh and nods. "You get to match wits against someone without having to worry about a body turning up. Figures you'd want to keep him around." He's grinning by the end of it, if only because of that shy expression on Kudou's face, but he can't help it. Messing with him is too much fun.

That grin freezes on his face just a moment later.

"But I wonder… why did this make _you_ so anxious?"

When Kudou stands, all that awkwardness suddenly gone, eyes on him, piercing, he can't help but take a step back. "A-anxious?"

Kudou gives him a look. "Yeah, anxious. Agitated, even. In fact, I'm pretty sure I saw you shaking when Kid brought this up. Once he left, you would've made a scene if Hakuba wasn't there. Why is that?"

"I-it was just the adrenaline. You know, after the chase and everything?"

"See, I used to think that too," Kudou starts in a tone that's deliberately light, but the tension is already there in his shoulders. When he takes a step forward, Heiji has to force himself to stay where he is. "I thought you wanted more fame - going after Kid would definitely give you that. I thought you were just another guy hooked on his heists. You always seem so excited about them. And I shrugged it off. I thought, 'this is what Kid does to people.' I had a weird feeling, but I thought nothing of it. Then, you went and lashed out at me tonight. And you didn't calm down hours after that." He sounds accusing now, but Heiji can more or less guess it's not about him losing his cool. The accusation was there all along. It built up under the calm words, until it was impossible ignore, and Heiji feels just a little sick realizing that Kudou speaks exactly like he does when he's presenting evidence to a case.

"I've told you, it was just-"

"I'm not an idiot, Hattori," Kudou cuts him off, and that's the most heated he sounded all evening. He seems to realize that too, as he takes a moment to breathe in and out. He can't quite school his voice back to that calm he had before, though. "I can see that you take things related to Kid all too personally, even the fact that I gave up on him. I want to know why."

Heiji is reminded of those times when Kudou earned his respect over and over again, with his keen eyes and his attention to detail, but he also remembers the small voice that kept telling him not to be friends with someone like him. _We are like sharks,_ Kudou once told him, and he laughed. He laughed, not realizing he could once end up feeling like stuck with a shark and a fresh bleeding wound. Now, all his mistakes, his inability to hide himself and his motives are like the blood that calls that shark to him.

But then he looks at Kudou, and the shark metaphor suddenly feels wrong and… cruel. Because Kudou doesn't look like a predator trying to hunt him down, even when his eyes are wide with curiosity and the need to know. He's like a friend who just wants to understand.

Even so, when Heiji opens his mouth, his words die in his throat before they could so much as turn into a single sound.

That's when Kudou steps back and gives him a wry smile. "I'm… can you at least tell me… sometime later?" _When you feel you can,_ is what hangs unsaid, but Heiji gets it. He hates how this is the only question he can answer.

"Yeah."

It seems to be enough for Kudou, who nods to himself and retreats to the kitchen with his empty cup. "We should probably sleep. We'll have to go to the station early tomorrow."

He groans. He almost forgot about that.

* * *

After the heist, time passes like it's dragging itself on stone legs. Heiji wakes every day hoping for a change, but he knows better than to expect it. But even so, every night, when he goes to sleep, one thought prevails in his mind over the sleepy mess. _Maybe tomorrow…_

It's not like he spends his days uselessly wandering around his house, though. He keeps taking cases, smaller, bigger, all around Osaka. It makes him feel sick, but he has to keep up appearances. And when he has some free time, he researches.

There are two things he's interested in. One being rumours about Kid, and whether they have… a touch of supernatural to them. He has to chew through a lot of stupid things for that, fans just gushing over and over, possibly fake stories like one fan totally having met Kid in a park and totally having made out with him. And all the outraged comments following that. Yeah right.

After all this mess, researching Hakuba is almost creating some sort of balance, though he too has his own fans. Thankfully, when it comes to him, Heiji doesn't have to read through rumours, he can just go through news reports. Through them, the image of a talented if slightly arrogant young detective appears, not unlike Kudou. Except this one jumps back and forth between England and Japan at random intervals. And happens to be something of a regular at Kid heists.

What this means is that there will be another source of threat for his brother, and this one can scatter information in not one, but two countries. And anywhere in between. Heiji will have to watch out for him, and stop him if he gets too close. Except… he's not sure how to. Hakuba isn't his friend, but he doesn't want to hurt him either.

"This would be so much easier if my brother finally noticed me…" he grumbles.

* * *

By the time Kid finally sends out another notice, a full month has passed. The target is a crown of sparkling emeralds, part of a private collection, borrowed by a museum somewhere around Haido. Heiji looks the place up, finds it mostly unremarkable. He doesn't mind, in fact, he's grateful. He's done with overly eccentric places and the way they divert his focus when he'd need it the most.

Kudou calls him soon after the notice shows up in the news. He asks if Heiji wants to come, but, though it's phrased as a question, it's more of a statement. There's a sense of knowing in his voice, too. Heiji knows why, as he recalls that conversation they had earlier, and a shiver runs down his spine.

Because Kudou won't close his eyes and turn away just because he pulled back once. So maybe he won't grill Heiji again, at least not until he thinks there's danger, but that doesn't mean anything. Neither does him giving up on Kid, not really. He still goes to heists, he still takes part… And he still has the opportunity to see things he's not supposed to.

Maybe he already has. And maybe not just about Kid. Heiji has to wonder how well he hid himself and his own secret. This isn't something he can just… trust Kudou about, no matter how much he wants it. He would trust him to save him from a bullet or a knife, he would trust him to have his back… but only as a human. He doesn't know what Kudou would do if he found out more.

But he can't hide away. He can only hope that if he managed to cope until now, he won't slip this time either.

* * *

The photos of the museum didn't lie about how unremarkable it is, only failed to show it in its full extent. Heiji stands in the biggest hall of it now, right in the middle, and he feels… nothing. Absolutely nothing. Even the most boring museum with the least relevant collection gives off some kind of feeling other than boredom, if only because of the vast amount of knowledge is still surrounding the visitors, no matter how useless that knowledge is to them in the end. But not this one. The various things on display aren't properly organized, and everything feels almost heartbreakingly bland. Except, heartbreak would be an actual emotion, something this place just does not inspire.

But that suits Heiji just fine. When everything and everyone around him fades into the background, he feels like it'll be easier to zero in on Kid when he arrives. As long as he's fast enough, he has a chance. Nevermind that this was never about speed, never about his ability to race down corridors and up the stairs, and all about his lack of luck and being surrounded by other people whom he can't tell he needs to talk to Kid. Alone.

It's alright, though, as long as he keeps trying. And if there was one thing he always had, it was his stubbornness, and he can surely count on it this time too. He has to succeed eventually. Kid can't run from him forever.

He almost reaches some calm, despite the usual anxiousness before the heist when Hakuba enters the room. Eyes narrowed into small slits, he stalks between the displays with slow, careful movements, and finally he reaches the target. Heiji watches him without a word, and if Kudou next to him notices how his back tenses and his hands slowly curl into loose fists, he doesn't mention it either.

When their eyes meet, Hakuba's mouth twitches into a smile, though it's more of a grimace, and last just as long as a sudden spasm of a few muscles. He nods his head in semblance of a greeting. By the time Heiji gets himself to do the same, Hakuba's attention is already elsewhere – they're both equally disinterested in pleasantries.

Or so Heiji thinks, but then Kuroba enters the room, and the smile Hakuba wears for him is a lot more genuine, despite the light frown pinching his brows. Then again, they've known each other for much longer. Heiji shrugs. Whatever story these two have, it's unimportant to him, and he lets them and their slightly hushed talk fade into the background, too.

He snaps only snaps back to reality when he notices that Kuroba is suddenly standing a lot closer.

"Hey, you two." There's something off about him, about how he smiles and how his eyes fail to light up even then, and how it's still distressingly realistic. Like he has lots of practice with this. Heiji has to wonder if he was like this the first time they met as well, when he was all too preoccupied with the guy looking like a secret twin of Kudou. Now that he can focus on something else, too, though… Heiji never would've thought that an uncanny valley for happiness existed, but if it did, Kuroba is standing right in the middle of it.

Kudou doesn't seem to notice it, and Heiji doesn't blame him. He was watching people before Kudou was a thought, and if not for all that time, he probably wouldn't see through Kuroba either.

"-and you're back too!" Kuroba exclaims, and that's aimed at him, so Heiji has to pay attention now.

"Of course. What do you take me for?"

"True, true." Kuroba nods to himself, before "brightening up" again. "Another young detective going after Kid… The fan sites were going a bit crazy with you for a bit. Talking about your cases, rating how successful you might be against Kid…"

"Oh? And what's the verdict?"

"Zero percent!" Kuroba almost sings, hands by his shoulders and fingers wiggling as he smiles. Then, he pretends to grow solemn, and lays a hand on Heiji's shoulder. "But don't take it to heart, everyone gets that, except from the shippers." Heiji pales. "But you haven't been around long enough for that."

"Didn't think Kid fans had any interest in detectives," Kudou cuts in. He's not tense, not anxious, not like he's standing in the middle of a museum, minutes before a heist. He looks at Kuroba with the same ease and amusement he would at an old acquaintance, and Kuroba, fake as he is, returns it easily. Heiji feels like he's been left out of a joke.

"We don't. But we make an exception with the regulars~ By the way, I'm surprised you two are still allowed to just stand around here."

"Why?"

"Weeell~ Nakamori-keibu has decided that this time he'll decide on a place for 'every damn living creature in this damn museum,' as he put it." Heiji blinks. Though Kuroba's voice is not as rough, he mimicked the man's tone surprisingly well, and his mannerisms too. "He seemed really serious about it, too. …this is the first time I saw him with those chess pieces."

"Chess pieces," Heiji repeats, deadpan.

"Yup~ If you ask me, he's just upset about the last heist, because the owner of the last place didn't let him do what he wanted. So yeah. He picked places for you two as well."

"Oh? Did he now?" Kudou asks, and he's smiling again, but there's an edge to it. Kuroba once again returns the look easily, but before he could answer too, Nakamori bursts in, loud and raging like Kid is already standing in front of him.

"There are too many people near the back entrance, he could easily-… You two! You can't just stand around like that!" Kudou huffs at that, a small, amused sound, and he pulls Heiji along as he walks over to the inspector. Kuroba doesn't follow them.

"Hey," Heiji says under his breath, elbowing Kudou lightly. "I didn't know the two of you were so friendly with each other."

"Well, we see each other pretty often on-"

"I've assigned places to everyone, including you two, and you'd better not stray off!" Nakamori bellows, interrupting their talk. Heiji jumps at his voice a little, while Kudou takes it in stride.

"We haven't been informed yet," he replies calmly.

"You haven't been-… Well, you'll be informed now! You," here he points at Kudou, "will head to the entrance of the hall with the crystals on the second floor. And you," he says, pointing at Heiji now," you will stay on the far end of the Northern corridor in the basement.

"The northern… Which one is that?" Heiji asks. He's seen the blueprints, but he doesn't remember any corridor with that name.

"It's-"

"I'll show him where it is!" Kuroba speaks up, suddenly behind them again. "I've been here once because of school," he adds when he sees Heiji frowning at him.

Nakamori goes along with it surprisingly easily, only warning Kuroba to get out of the building once he's done. As Kuroba mock salutes in return, Kudou pats Heiji's shoulder with a smile. "Good luck," he says.

"Yeah… you too." Once again, he feels like he's been left out of something. But Kudou doesn't stay to explain, and he has no choice to follow Kuroba, so he might as well talk to the guy. "So… why is there a Northern corridor in the Western corner of the building.

"It's because of all the artwork there," comes the reply. "On the walls, and in the halls opening from that corridor is a bunch of artwork that's supposed to be inspired by the arctic. Originally it's called Amundsen corridor, but not everyone can pronounce it, hence the nickname. The art varies in quality, but that marble polar bear cub is cute. You can see it when you glance inside the last hall on the corridor." He seems like the kind of person who is perfectly capable of carrying a conversation without any kind of input from the other, but also the kind who is very used to hearing his own voice and even finds joy in it.

"Oh?"

"Yeah. They also used to have an ice sculpture exhibition, but… apparently they had to close it because too many people licked the artwork. Now they just have a bunch of glass stuff. This way." They walk down the stairs.

"You seem to know a lot about the place."

"A friend of mine was curious about the ice sculptures, so I looked it up. …but it closed up before we could… see it…" Kuroba stumbles, and his palm slides down the wall as he tries to find balance. –then, like a puppet with its strings cut, he crumples to the floor.

"Hey! Hey, what's wrong?" Heiji rushes to his side, heart suddenly in his throat. He knows the guy is still alive, he can see the slow rise and fall of his back, but for him to just drop like that? What is…?

It doesn't matter. A moment later he follows suit and falls.

* * *

Heiji doesn't need to open his eyes to know exactly what happened. He feels something rope-like cut into his arms and ankles just barely when he tries to move, and he considers ripping it to tiny shreds. He doesn't, but only because he wouldn't be able to explain it.

Harsh white light welcomes him when he finally decides to check out his surroundings, seeping over a bland grey bathroom stall. He himself is stuffed in one corner, against the tiled wall behind him and the plastic on the side. He's glad to see he's still wearing all of his clothes.

A breath off to his side. A flinch, and he turns – Kuroba is sitting there, in the other corner, tied up and fully clothed. He's still dozing with his head bowed, wild hair half covering his eyes.

Heiji bumps his head against the wall behind him. "I'm not giving up on you, brother, but you're not making it easy for me…" he thinks.

Kuroba wakes a few minutes later, disoriented and just a little incoherent in the first few seconds. Heiji doesn't blame him. Especially because the guy seems surprisingly helpful, once they shuffle across the floor to help each other free somehow.

Still, by the time they leave the stall, the heist is long over, and he wishes that feeling of frustration wasn't so damn familiar.

When Hakuba is found in a similar position two floors above, he feels a bit better.

* * *

During the three weeks Heiji spends in waiting before the next heist, his nerves are tensed to the point they could snap any moment. He's not sure what the cause is, why he feels like apprehension is choking him with every waking moment, and why sleep brings him no relief either.

All too often, he wakes to the hazy image of his parents in his memory, faded and distorted, their voices a faint, haunting echo that lingers in his ears. And when it's not his parents, it's Kid. He's always too far and too fast with disappearing into the dark or plunging into the depths. By the time Heiji could get to him, he is already collapsing into bits of fabric and metal.

He has nothing to distract himself with either – he's run out of Hakuba's cases already, there's nothing for him but fresh gossip and glamorous success in capturing other criminals Heiji is not interested in. Kid's fan forums are full of speculation, still as maddening as before, and just a little more.

By the time Kid finally picks a target, an oversized amethyst ring, Heiji has sworn ten thousand times he won't let his brother live down the mess he's put him through. Once they get to talk, that is.

To distract himself, he decides to look up the location of the gem. He finds a mall, freshly opened, even fresher jewel exhibition on the fifth floor, _come see it you won't regret it-_ …it stinks of lure. Heiji's stomach turns, but he pushes it down. That feeling won't go away, keeps eating him up during the night before his departure, sings into his ear on the shinkansen ride. Makes him seethe when he gets there.

It doesn't take more than seeing the owner of the place, a slimy looking man, middle aged, pinstriped suit collapsing on itself with only bones supporting it from beneath. Golden rings clink together as the man claps his hands together once, eyes shining with determination that feels sickening… almost perverted. Little conspiring whispers to his vice president, "think of all the new customers!" and the other man, cartoonishly small next to him, grinning back. _My brother is not for you to be used,_ Heiji thinks, almost, almost says out loud. He clenches his hands into fists, hard enough that he can feel his nails sinking into skin, leaving tiny crescents in their wake.

He's powerless to change this, and he hates it. Anything he could do, anything meaningful, would only give him away, and put his brother in danger. He can't, he can never do that.

A breath, short more like a huff. Then another. Longer. Cleansing, almost.

If he can't bear to look at the guy any longer, then he'll just have to find somewhere else to go. He walks towards the escalator, no clear goal beyond it. If anyone asks, he's scouting out the building.

Kudou is quiet behind him, follows after asking where he's going. He wonders if Kudou thinks he has to look after him, like some chaperone. Tokyo is foreign ground, a sense of hospitality perhaps? Heh, or he's thinking "I'm the one who pulled you along to heists, I'm watching over you now." It's a funny thought, but only as long as it remains a silly idea. But, Heiji thinks, in the end, it's probably him just keeping an eye on him because of that conversation they had two months ago.

This isn't helping with easing the tension he feels, not one bit. Apprehension thrums in his veins already, and to know that Kudou will keep on looking, keep on watching him like a damn hawk… This is what he wanted to avoid. And now, with his shoulders squared already, hands balled into tight fists, frown on his face… He keeps giving signals that something is up, possibly dangerous. And Kudou won't leave him alone if he senses danger.

 _Distract yourself,_ he thinks. _There is still time. Breathe in, breathe out._ He does just that, but he's not all that surprised when it fails to dislodge that tight ball of anxiety in his chest. At the very least, he forces himself to slouch his shoulders a bit, uncurl his fingers. And distract himself.

The thin lines of walls of the mall between wide shop windows are painted pastel pink and pistachio green, with thin golden lines around the borders and the doorways. Between the pillars, there are boxes full of pink flowers and a few benches. They clash somewhat with the shining glass of all the shops, but they are pleasant enough.

Some greenery peeks through the glass ceiling above. _Right, there's supposed to be a garden on the top floor,_ Heiji thinks, and he heads there. He has to go through a few floors, pass between expensive clothes shops, fancy looking cafés and ridiculously elegant fast food restaurants, but it's alright. There aren't any people around save for the guards – the owner's, not the Task Force this time – and they are all quiet. It's a little eerie, how they hover on the floors, like silent black ghosts, but after some while, Heiji can just ignore them.

Finally, he reaches the end of the last escalator. Glass doors with golden arching designs open to reveal something of a jungle. There aren't many trees, it's mostly just tall plants on stone pedestals that are cleverly hidden behind bushes, but it does the trick. And anything that their leaves can't cover is hidden by the hanging flowers, until the sky is nothing but tiny snippets of murky blue.

To see it properly, and the buildings around them, Heiji has to walk all over to the safety rails, to the edge of the roof.

The Sun is just about to dip down below the horizon, and it calls to him, asks him to chase it, and he's surprised by how much he wants it all of a sudden. But in his human form, all he can do is lean over the rails, listen for the crowd gathering beneath.

He feels a light touch on his shoulder. "We should go back," Kudou says.

Whatever ease he managed to reach until now, whatever peace or calm… it's gone, just like that. His grip tightens on the safety rail.

"I'll stay here… Guard the top floor."

Kudou watches him for a moment, Heiji can feel his eyes on him even when he doesn't turn to face him. He's clever, he knows this is about all the things Heiji refused to tell him almost two months ago. Now he waits, to see if things have changed.

They haven't.

"Alright. I'll let the Inspector know." Kudou squeezes his shoulder just a little, and he has to smile back. People say and think many things about Kudou, but one thing they don't seem to appreciate enough is how quickly he… gets it. He was never emotionless or cold, only slightly lost, like any other person would be. But he tries, even when he's not sure how to go about it.

This is why he didn't leave, despite the danger. "Thanks."

When he's left alone, he considers what he should do again. He's been thinking about it, since the notice came, and even before that, but he never got too far, always falling victim to his own impatience. He has to come up with something now, though, or he'll keep failing.

What would he do if a fellow dragon wanted to get in contact with him? How would he want them to do it?

He wouldn't want to be jumped. He'd want the other to be as upfront as possible. Talking in riddles is unavoidable, when there are people around, but there are ways to go about it. Dropping hints, showing some proof, however little. The pearl, for one, would be good – there's no need to hand it over either. The sight of it, to anyone who needs to understand it, would be a clear message. That's the goal: clarity. To not be just a shape in the shadows, a whistle in the quiet. An ambiguous letter that could've been left by anyone, like a hunter. This is why Heiji never bothered with leaving anything for Kid, he can't expect his brother to trust it when he wouldn't be able to, either. Even on the off chance that Kid would do as he was told, they would start off on the wrong foot.

He looks around. The garden presents many hiding places for those who want it, so Heiji must take care to avoid them. He walks closer to the glass doors – not too close, he doesn't want to jump Kid – just close enough that he'd be easy to see. Of course, there's the chance that Kid will just turn back, pick another spot, but… well, he hopes it won't come to that.

As time passes, the crowd below gets louder. Heiji can't make out every word of their frantic chants, but when they start on those short, clipped words, he knows what they're doing. Counting down.

There's a moment of deafening silence then, like a breath, before the shouts erupt once again.

Heiji strains his ears for the sounds from the inside, though. And he doesn't have to wait for too long before Kid whips the previously stoic guards into frenzy, their shouts soon echoing through the mall.

Still, minutes pass, and no one comes to the roof. _Has he made a mistake, then?_ He stands there, twisting back and forth, wondering what to do. He doesn't want to leave early, but he doesn't want to stay too long either.

His leg is half-raised to take a step when the glass door slams open. But rather than who he's been waiting for, it's Hakuba half-squatting there, gasping for air. When he finally straightens, he looks just as surprised, but he soon recovers, stomping towards Heiji with a scowl.

"What are you doing here?"

"I could ask you the-"

It's in that moment that Hakuba's eyes flash and he lunges for Heiji. They're on the ground in a breath, but Heiji is quick to prepare himself for a counter attack.

The glass then shatters behind them to the thunder of a gunshot.

He goes motionless, hands raised uselessly for a punch he didn't throw, the sound shutting him down. It's not that he never heard the sound of a gun before, oh no. He had to face down enough gun barrels, being a detective, but the setting was different. The knowledge that he's at a heist that's organized by his brother is all too vivid in his mind.

But something else he remembers, with sudden clarity, is the series of reports about gunshot marks on the walls after Kid heists, dry retellings with a hint of worry lingering underneath everything, all signed by Hakuba at the end.

His brother is being hunted.

He gasps, the thought like a punch in the gut. But as he tries to breathe, he finds himself slipping away from his surroundings. He's barefoot on soft grass, under a red sky, and his hands are sticky with blood. His chest is heaving, but the air is acrid when it enters his lungs.

He wants to cry out, wants to ask for help, but all that leaves his mouth is a faint whimper. It's an aborted call for his mother – her eyes, glassy, empty, flash into his memory, becoming clearer when he makes the mistake of clenching his own eyes shut.

The sound of the slap registers before the pain. It is the sound that snaps him back, makes him return to reality, to the hard concrete under his back, to the weight on top of him that squeezes the air out of him.

Hakuba has already raised his hand for another hit, and Heiji barely can catch him in time. "Stop it!" he growls, already shoving the other's hand away, then pushing at his shoulder.

"I was trying to snap you out of it," Hakuba replies easily. He sounds nonchalant, but even now, with his mind frazzled, Heiji can tell he's forcing himself. He might be able to control his tone, but his eyes are sharp and watchful. "And now," he continues, slightly firmer, "we need to head into the building and inform the others."

They do just that. To his credit, Hakuba doesn't ask about his episode, even if he's glaring holes into Heiji's back through their run down the stairs. It's not that he doesn't talk though – oh, he does, does he ever.

"Did you tell anyone you'd be up there at least?"

"Kudou knew about it," he replies half-heartedly, then jumps over a flight of stairs, hoping to put some distance between the two of them. Hakuba, just a tad less gracefully, follows suit.

"So you didn't talk to the Inspector. Or the chief of security. Do you have any idea how troublesome it is to-"

"I know! God, shup up already!" He winces at how his voice echoes through the staircase, but any kind of embarrassment he might've had vaporizes when he realizes that Hakuba will not, in fact, shut up.

"We have to know your location at all times! We can't cooperate if you're going on rogue adventures on your own! And you don't even carry a radio – how are we supposed to communicate with you?"

"'We?' What, you're taking Nakamori's place now? My bad, I didn't know I had to report to you too about every goddamn thing I do!"

"Your outburst will not solve anything, Hattori- kun," comes the reply, annoyingly calm and dry. "And I'd like to think I've been here a tad longer than you have." And Heiji can just see, without turning around, in his mind, how the other straightens his back just a little, raising his head with pride. With conceitedness.

There is a reply on his tongue – or rather, several replies. Each more unfitting than the last, until he can't do anything but clamp down on that rage as they reach he floor of the exhibition.

They don't need to enter the event hall to hear the owner's grieving. "I cannot believe…! That villain…!" he bawls, his tears seeming alarmingly real – though Heiji has a feeling that if he searched his or his assistant's pockets, he would find some sort of eye drops.

Kudou sends him a look as he entered – he seems like he had been listening to the owner's wailing for a while now. "No luck, I assume?" he asks when Heiji reaches his side. There's a hint of teasing there, but not much.

"There was a sniper," Heiji says in return, cutting to the chase. He's not saying it loudly, yet Nakamori whirls around at his words, and stomps over to him.

"What sniper?" His voice, commanding, booms across the hall, and everyone turns silent. Even the owner ceases, suddenly tense and honest in his fright. And that's when Heiji snaps back to himself as a detective – he was thinking of hunters and dragons, things that don't concern humans… but in the end, a sniper is a sniper, and there's procedure to follow.

So he talks – he's brief and as clear as possible. Soon after, the Task Force members who were forced to wait outside the mall, swarms the neighbouring building.

Heiji stays behind with Kudou.

"What happened down here?" he asks.

Kudou tilts his head as he's thinking back. "I thought he was being weird…" he mumbles, almost to himself, before he fully turns to Heiji and speaks a bit louder. "He used smoke as a cover to appear on top of the glass case. And he also used smoke to mask his disappearance. He probably used timed smoke bombs… Some of them started only right before he left." He pauses here, rubbing at his chin. "Kid was in a hurry, I think. He didn't really make any jokes, or pull any pranks. And if he knew about the snipers… he was worried. He wanted to pull the sniper away from us as soon as possible!"

Heiji nodded. If his brother knew about them…

"And you?" Kudou speaks up again, his voice suddenly fervent. "Did you really not see him?"

"No…" He's a little taken aback. Does Kudou really think he would cover for Kid? Well, he would, but that's not the point. "Only Hakuba showed up… Kid escaped elsewhere probably."

With that, they head outside. The silence is tense between them, lost in their thoughts as they are.

The lingering crowd and their chatter slowly envelop them. But when Heiji looks around, he sees the twinkle in everyone's eyes, and that excited vibration in their voices as they speak. A group of school girls squeal somewhere to his left, high pitched and happy and amazed by everything Kid does.

Even though the thought of the sniper is heavy on his mind, the people's good mood is infectious, and Heiji feels a small wish blossoming in his chest. One day, he wants to leave a heist just like this, light and fearless and happy.

* * *

When Heiji wakes up in the middle of the night after the heist, chest heaving and covered in sweat, he's barely surprised. Once he's rationalized things, of course. The next morning, it all seems to be fine and Heiji, naively enough, dares to believe that he'll be fine.

But the nightmares continue.

They are nonsensical, and mostly things that have never happened. But they are mixed with just enough actual past events to make it upsetting and real through the haze of a mind stuck in the dream.

One time, Kid gives him a necklace, chatting all along and smiling like all's right in the world. A bullet tears through his chest when he steps away from Heiji. The next time he's chasing Kid down a corridor, only for Kid to collapse on himself. When Heiji reaches him, the pool of blood surrounds his head like a sickening halo.

Kid isn't the only one to appear, though.

There are many dreams about his father and his mother. He doesn't always see them dying, but that doesn't offer him any relief, only disorientation rather than grief. And the deaths? Inspired by the many horror tales of hunters and human folklore, and the cruelty of Heiji's own mind. There's almost a creativity to them, sickening as they are, with how varied they can get. They have nothing to do with how things happened, but when Heiji takes their hands in those nightmares, teary and desperate, and feels the magic seeping out of their body, they feel too real.

Heiji becomes weary. His mind becomes frantic and messy, his body weak and sluggish.

And Kid chooses the worst time possible to give him what he wants. He changes pace and holds heists more often – once every two week, then weekly, and occasionally twice a week.

Kid's courtesy only extends as far as giving Heiji more tries, though. The plans for that first contact fail, and Kid keeps slipping away from him without any meaningful words exchanged.

It's no surprise after all this that Heiji approaches the next heist location with teeth gritted, shoulders tense, hands balled into fists.

Kudou isn't with him this time to joke around with either. He's on some case in Hokkaido, most likely trying to sustain himself on black tar coffee. He seemed apologetic when he told about it to Heiji, and he, in turn, felt even worse for feeling relief at the news. Kudou was his friend, but now when he was watching Heiji like a hawk, it was more than a little unnerving.

The only thing that's easing his frustration is the location itself. For the first time since he started attending heists, Kid had decided on a location outside of Tokyo, and instead, he's targeting a villa up in the mountains to the North.

The building is menacing, despite how flimsy it looks. It's more similar to a tower, since it's tall, but somehow thin, too, and it looks like the first stronger gust of wind could topple it. Yet it stands resolutely, surrounded by tall pine trees and a dark grey stone wall.

That menacing aura is gone, however, as soon as Heiji steps closer, and sees the master of the villa, one Shinagawa Akihiko. He's shaped like a bear, and his voice booms like thunder, but his smile is warm, and he invites every Task Force member inside like they've been guests he's long been waiting for.

Nakamori is a bit lost on how to deal with him. It's clearly bothering him that Shinagawa doesn't care for the formations he's set up for different groups of the Task Force, and he tells the man as much. Shinagawa agrees that formations are indeed very important, and attacks the poor inspector with a dozen questions about what kind of strategies he's used so far.

When Heiji finally gets close enough that the host has to greet him, Nakamori almost seems grateful.

"Hattori-kun, yes? Oh, I've heard about you! Yes, yes, I've heard a lot!" Then he tells Heiji exactly what he's heard. Glowing praise, all of it. It's almost like the people who criticize Heiji for being too rash and too hot headed don't exist, oh no. Suddenly, he's the guardian of Osaka, or perhaps all of Japan, a bright future ahead of him… He stands a little taller, hearing that. And, to his surprise, Shinagawa doesn't bring up Kudou once, even though the comparison is almost unavoidable when someone applauds his skills. With this smart move, the owner manages to get on Heiji's good side right away.

Still, Heiji has the sinking feeling that he already might've missed the heist by having to listen to this man.

Surprisingly, that's not the case. In fact, once the man is done with the pleasantries, he hurries to show them around, so they can prepare for the heist. And of course, he shows them tonight's target.

"It is a small thing, but my family is really proud of it! But why would Kid want it? It really is such a small thing… What matters is that we have good memories of it, though, isn't that right? See, that's what matters, good memories."

And the treasure with good memories? A small tiara with pink diamonds on it. So small that one would think it was intended for a child, or at least, someone with a really small head.

Turns out, that thought not far off. "My little girl always celebrates her birthday wearing this," Shinagawa informs them. "A shame you can't see her, but she's scared of strangers… My dear Marisa… She's staying with her grandmother for now."

The tiara doesn't have a fancy name, unlike most of Kid's targets. Kid himself has referred to it as the Shinagawa princess' treasure.

It would seem that, despite the look of the area, this would be one of the more light hearted heists. This seems to please the Task Force, since they are taking things more easily now, lightly chatting when normally they'd be standing in tense, excited silence. This may or may not have something to do with the fact that Nakamori isn't watching them as closely, though – the host, Shinagawa, still keeps him busy with all sorts of topics.

Heiji wishes he could take it easy, too, but he knows he can't until he's talked to his brother.

And just when he'd finally managed to reach some meditative calm, after all the pressure and stress has crystallized into something like clarity and focus in his mind, a man shows up from nowhere, next to Shinagawa.

"My apologies," Shinagawa laughs as he spots the man, then gestures towards him. "This is my bodyguard, Terada."

Odd. Shinagawa isn't built like a man who needs a bodyguard, especially if said guard seems ridiculously fragile standing next to him. Terada is tall and thin and all sharp angles, from his chin to his shoulders to his elbows. His eyes are small and black like a bug's, and Heiji finds that this man would be a lot more fitting to be the master of such a horror movie-ish place.

From then on, Terada follows his master like a shadow and doesn't leave his side for a moment, something Shinagawa seems grateful for. Heiji has to wonder what kind of enemies the man might be expecting. Another thing to worry about…

Eventually, the time comes for the heist to begin. Heiji doesn't stray off now, he follows the inspector, the master and the bodyguard back to the tiara's location, which just so happens to be on the top floor. It's almost like the owner wants Kid to fly away with his prize.

Kid arrives without fanfare. The door to the tiara is jammed, and by the time they break it open, he's already there.

"Good evening!" he calls, waving with the tiara in his hand. "An elegant piece, isn't it?" This he says while dodging a few Task Force members trying to fling themselves at him. They care little for his greetings, though they would surely talk about it later. Now, they're only focused on getting to him, which is a lot harder than they would've thought, considering that the room isn't all that big.

It seems that everyone gets one try – those who fail get struck by glitter and something glue like. Heiji is all too familiar with the material, so he tries to keep away from it, even as he's carefully circling Kid.

He's not sure what to do. He's summoned his pearl in his palm, before making it vanish again. He can't afford to drop it in a scuffle. But even so… even so…!

Someone pushes something into his hand from behind, the hand he's still hiding behind his back because of the pearl. It's bigger than his palm, much bigger, and the shape of it is odd… what could it be? But there's already the impatient whisper from behind him: "Put it on!"

A blink later, gas fills the room. Sleeping gas, apparently, and a particularly strong one, too. It's not enough to knock Heiji off his feet, but it's almost choking him anyway.

The thing he got turns out to be useful – a gas mask. He puts it on quickly, holding his breath all the while.

He doesn't know whose plan it was. The inspector's? The owner's? Ultimately, it doesn't matter. Kid is quick to steal the inspector's gas mask – as a result, Nakamori crumples on the ground against his will.

Kid doesn't get to put it on, though. Like a ghost, Terada appears behind him, and looms over him for just a split second before grabbing at his wrist and turning it backwards. _It's useless,_ Heiji thinks, _you won't catch him like this._

But the goal was never to restrain him. Terada lands a hit on Kid's back, enough to send him reeling. A yelp, distinctly not Kids right after, and Terada lets him go, clutching at his own hand. He looks furious now, and when he sees that in the end, he barely managed to do more than make Kid cough a few times, he grabs at something heavier – a small silver statue from a nearby table.

The next hit he lands, this time on Kid's head, does a lot more damage. The statue comes away bloody, and Kid nearly falls to the floor. It takes all of his strength to turn and grab at Terada's mask and pulls on it just enough so that the man breathes in the gas too. And no matter how furious and strong-willed he is, his body isn't used to the gas enough to keep going. He falls in seconds.

Kid stumbles to the window, then. Pushing it open takes monumental effort for him, but that effort is… pointless. He is in no state to fly, and trying could end worse than him just settling down on the ground and waiting for others to catch him.

Only Kid is clearly not the kind of person who would do that. And Heiji knows this all too well.

So he rushes over to his brother, and grabs at his arm. But he has no intention of keeping Kid inside the building – there is no way he could get away with it, and before long, he'd have to hand him over to the Task Force. First, he's not sure what else he could do, but when Kid begins to nod off towards the depths and the night outside, he lets him. And he follows, because he has an idea.

It's insane, but… He likes more with every passing moment.

Since he has a grab on Kid's arm, it isn't too hard to catch the rest of him, too. All the while, he feels the power of his pearl thrumming through his veins, an ancient rhythm pulsing in his ears. He's denied it for so long, pushed it back for months, held it back like a dam.

Now, he lets go.

His eyes light up first, to the colour of storms, feral and otherworldly. His spine cracks and reshapes itself, and the rest of his bones soon follow. His skin struggles to match the speed of the change, before it gives way to turquoise scales that gleam in the moonlight. His hair grows into a mane, changes until it's the colour of the running rivers. His claws, pearly white, are sharp at the ends of his fingers.

The serpentine shape that emerges from his transformation, the form of a dragon… his true form.

He doesn't roar, not yet. Now that he's changed, his powers keep him hidden from humans for a while, but he doesn't need to test his luck. He inches higher up to the sky instead, Kid carefully clutched in his hands.

Still, when he's far enough, he can't help but laugh. The evening wind makes him giddy, and the way everything is tiny underneath him. And his brother, he's saved him, and he got him…!

…except.

There's no magic in his supposed brother. It's not like he's missing his pearl, it feels like he's not supposed to have a pearl to begin with. Like his mortal body is not a disguise, but the real shell his soul resides in.

Kid is a human.


End file.
